Dreamer
by Dante Kreisler
Summary: Ignoring the rebirth, I had a peaceful life. School, dyslexia, step-family, ADHD, and camp. Even when Percy Jackson entered Camp Half-Blood, nothing particularly exciting came into my life, but of course, I probably jinxed myself. Self-Insert OC. Eventual romance.
1. TLT - It's Beginning (I)

I do not own anything of Percy Jackson and the series, Rick Riordan does, bless him. I follow the books and the plot and I do reuse some dialogue, but I alter them and fit it into my story. Again, copyright is all Rick Riordan's, I repeat, I do not own _**anything**_ _._

* * *

"Hey, wake up."

I ignored the voice coming from below.

"I'm going to take away your blanket if you don't get up," the voice threatened. I tightened my hands around my precious blanket.

 _Maybe the voice will go away if I ignore it._

"I'm taking it in three, two, one-"

"I'm up, I'm up," I grumbled and slapped away the hand that hovered towards the edge of the covers on my bunk bed. I rubbed my eyes and sat up to gather my hair for a ponytail. I grimaced when I felt my fingers caught on the ends of my black hair streaked with strands of lighter browns. I'm going to need to take a shower today. I snapped on the hair tie and yawned.

"Jade, over here." Fingers snapped to my side to grab my attention. I turned to lean over the edge of my bed and squinted down at the two figures standing below my top bunk. They were both guys. The taller of two had short sandy blonde hair on a nice face and an athletic body. I couldn't see the permanent white scar that vertically lined the right side of his face from the angle I was looking at though.

"Luke," I acknowledged and redirected my gaze to the boy next to him. Dark, almost black hair with the slightly dim lighting inside the cabin, but I could see his bright green eyes. Green like the sea. The skinny, but of average stature boy was holding onto a large horn that looked like he had snapped it off a bull's head. I avoided eye contact with the boy and locked my eyes onto it.

"Is that the Minotaur's horn?" The boy shuffled his feet and looked surprised.

"Y-yeah."

I yawned again, "Cool. Why am I awake now?" Luke quickly looked away while the dark haired boy copied my action and then looked confused with himself for doing so. People tended to do that around me when I yawned, which gave me some pointers on who my godly parent was if the dreams weren't enough of a hint. Luke knew about the effect I had on people and also knew when to look away so that he wouldn't yawn.

Inwardly, I grimaced. I could have completed a full cycle of sleep if Luke hadn't woken me up. Now I was probably going to get cranky and snarky any moment since the disrupted cycle will mess with my brain.

I slid a questioning gaze of _get on with it_ to Luke.

Luke started the introductions.

"Percy, this is Jade. She's one year older than you and has been here almost as long as Annabeth and me. Ask her for help any time. Jade, this is Percy. He just arrived to camp last night and this is his first time, so watch out for him, got it?"

I grunted an assent.

"Sounds are not words, Jade," Luke sighed.

"Tell that to the cavemen," I mumbled. Ah, there's my snarky side.

"Can't, I've got a quick meeting with the other counselors for the upcoming capture the flag game this week. Take Percy outside to meet Annabeth at the volleyball court. She'll be doing the explanations this time." I bobbed my head, relieved to be off duty for doing explanations to the new camper. Chiron normally had the most experienced counselors and year rounding campers to break down some of the news to the newbies. He liked having me do it most of the time, since I 'phrased my words better', whatever that means. I wished that Chiron would finish that orientation film he had been working on sooner. I yawned again and for the second time already, Percy copied me.

"How are you doing that?" He asked.

Pulling my blanket off, I didn't bother answering him and searched for a hoodie with my name on the tag. Most of the kids in cabin eleven don't dare to steal from me in the first place, but there's always a camper who doesn't know about me and tries. I found and tugged on a solid dark grey jacket, which reflected the state of my sloth-like mood and rolled down from my top bunk. Percy-boy jumped back when I landed on my feet while Luke clasped a hand on my shoulder.

I smirked. I was a little taller than the Percy-boy.

"Take care of him, alright?"

I made an 'okay' sign with my hands and started walking out the cabin door while trying not to flatten the many demigods and their belongings on the ground. I had to bat my dark brown eyes several times when the sunlight hit me in the face. I was no vampire since I liked sleeping in the sunlight, but summertime was at its peak and Camp Half-Blood's weather reflected that well. I heard someone stumble at the door behind me and snickers erupted from inside the cabin.

 _Great, now everyone will think he's a scrub._

Before I could forget, I flicked my hood over my head and called over my shoulder, "Come on, Annabeth doesn't like tardiness."

The boy quickly caught up next to me and muttered, "Yeah, well she doesn't seem to like me either."

"You met Annabeth already?"

"She told me that I drool when I sleep."

I shrugged and headed for the volleyball court where a stressed out blonde and tan girl was waiting impatiently. The boy's arrival must have made her tense and thinking like a sandstorm of the upcoming prophecy. I don't think I'm supposed to know about it since almost no one in camp does, but because of my dreams and my " _situation"_ , I don't fall in the 'normal' category.

"Annabeth doesn't seem to like anyone at first," I said loosely. "She likes to analyze everything, including people, before getting close." We were within earshot of Annabeth, but Percy-boy didn't notice her.

"So I'm like a catalog to her?"

I shrugged again, and flicked my head towards Annabeth.

"Annabeth, Luke said you're supposed to give 'the talk' this time," I toned while air-quoting "the talk".

Percy-boy immediately looked nervous.

"Whoa, wait, I already got the birds and bees talk in fifth grade," he stammered. Annabeth let out an exasperated sigh and gave me an _are you kidding me_ look, but I just appraised him.

"Hey, what's your last name?" I asked.

"Jackson," he said uncomfortably.

 _Jackson._

 _Percy Jackson._

 _Son of a bi-sea god._

 _Son of a sea god._

 _Literally._

And it was like an atom bomb imploded in my brain. I continued to stare at him until I noticed that he was starting to squirm under my gaze.

I blinked.

"Well, nice to meet you Percy Jackson. I'll be at my bunk, on cabin eleven's dining table, or down near the lake if you ever need me. I'll also probably be asleep, so bring me something good to eat if you ever wake me up because I'm normally a little irritated when I have to wake up. Food helps." I turned to leave, but Annabeth grabbed the sleeve of my jacket.

"Oh no you don't, you're staying here to help me with this idiot," she commanded. I grumbled, but didn't argue. Arguing with Annabeth never eases a situation and always gives me a headache. It's like she wins every time no matter what.

I walked away from the volleyball pit because lying down on sand isn't comfortable and flopped onto the grassy ground beneath a tree. Annabeth and Percy Jackson followed me and both sat cross-legged next to me. There was a moment of silence because neither of them made a move to start the conversation. I cracked open my eyes and saw that they were both looking expectantly at me.

I groaned, "Annabeth, Chiron assigned this one to you."

"Is he the one?" Annabeth prompted. I shrugged. Annabeth knew that I also knew about the prophecy Chiron had told her. Surprisingly, she was okay with it and even asks me for advice since I have dreams that seem to connect to it.

"You know, I'm right here," Percy huffed. I deflected Annabeth's question.

"You tripped when you exited the cabin, didn't you?" I directed to him. Annabeth rolled her eyes. Percy started sputtering, but I ignored him and continued talking to Annabeth.

"Cabin eleven think he's fresh meat now."

"Percy, you have to do better than that," she snapped and then mumbled under her breath. "I can't believe I thought he was the one." The tension and lack of details of explaining what was happening to him finally seemed to get to Percy.

"What's your problem?" He was getting angry now. "All I know is, I kill some bull guy-" And then I closed my eyes again and just listened.

Everything was going to canon, with the exception of, well, _me being alive and next to them._

"-do you know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?" Annabeth sounded frustrated, probably because she wanted to be the one to defeat the Minotaur. She's right that other demigods would've jumped at the chance, but there aren't too many. A lot of campers just want a regular life outside of camp. The only ones who really thirsted to prove themselves to the gods were Annabeth and Luke. The rest weren't as desperate although many are eager and itching to complete _some_ sort of quest outside of camp. They were only getting bored of being cooped up in Camp Half-Blood.

Annabeth started explaining to Percy about demigods and monsters. Primal forces, archetypes, and how they reform even when they disappear.

"You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?" Percy questioned. He wanted answers badly and I pitied him a little.

I cut in, "Yo, try not to toss those names around okay?" I could already feel the rumbling beneath the soil, coming for under _there_ , and the Mist flickering around us.

Annabeth glanced around nervously. Obviously she had felt it too and warned him.

"You shouldn't call them by name, even here. We call them the Kindly Ones, if we have to speak of them at all."

"Look is there anything we _can_ say without it thundering?" Percy whined. I let out a short laugh. It was something that I thought about often too.

"And why do I have to stay in cabin eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together and how do you get a bunk? There are plenty of empty bunks right over there." Percy asked me while pointing to the first few cabins.

I held up three fingers, putting them down one by one as I made my points.

"One, unless Luke already told you, you're not claimed, and all unclaimed campers go to cabin eleven. Two, yeah a lot of those kids in cabin eleven are unclaimed and that's why it's so crowded. Three, I got a bunk because I came to camp pretty early and snagged one when a camper left for college."

Annabeth finished his unsaid question and she was a little pale. This part of the topic was pretty sensitive, after all.

"You don't just choose a cabin, Percy. It depends on who your parents are. Or…your parent." She stared at Percy, waiting for him to get it, but Percy only stared back at her with incomprehension. I sighed and rolled over to my side. This was going to take a while.

After Annabeth and Percy talked more with me supervising and interjecting here and there, Clarisse and her crew marched up to us. I could tell it was Clarisse by the way her feet pounded against the ground and how she breathed heavily when she got excited to haze a new camper.

Her husky voice cut across our conversation, "Well! A newbie!" I cringed. I've never really talked to Clarisse that much and when I did, I knew how to not get on her bad side without having to look like a complete loser. Either way, she was loud and a presence that refused to be ignored.

I liked the camo jacket fashion the Ares kids had going though.

"Clarisse," Annabeth sighed. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"

"Sure, Miss Princess," the big light brown haired girl said. "So I can run you through with it Friday night."

" _Erre es korakas!"_ Annabeth retorted. _Go to the crows!_ I translated mentally in Greek. How rude.

Annabeth and Clarisse continued bickering until the daughter of Ares caught sight of Percy.

"Who's this little runt?" Annabeth pursed her lips and refused to answer, facing the other direction. I guess she refused to talk to Clarisse for the moment, meaning that I'd have to do the honors.

"Percy Jackson, meet Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares," I said and gestured with my hand. "Clarisse, meet Percy Jackson."

Clarisse scowled down at me since I was still lying down with my hood covering a part of my face. Though I had to smile a little when I noticed that she avoided eye contact with me. Even the fearless, gutsy Clarisse didn't like meeting my eyes.

"How'd you know my last name?"

Not all demigods like to tell their last names since their mortal family background can be just as a thin ice of a topic as their godly one.

"Dreams," I simply replied as though to explain it all. Percy Jackson seemed to be stuck on one detail though.

He blinked. "Like...the war god?"

I groaned and got up. I didn't want to have a guilty conscious since I knew what was coming up next.

"I'm going to head over to the mess hall," I said and patted my clothes from dust. "Don't get in a fight-

Clarisse leered at Percy.

-and Annabeth, you're supposed to give him the complete tour," I finished. I didn't wait for their responses and briskly started walking away from the group. Before I got too far, I started hearing snippets of 'initiation' and 'girl's bathroom' and I saw Clarisse dragging Percy with one hand to the nearest public restroom in the corner of my eye. I sighed.

I'm probably going to be sighing a lot more from now on with Percy Jackson around.

* * *

By the dinnertime, I had heard of Percy's bathroom incident from multiple people in excited and hushed tones. Excited, because it's not everyday Clarisse gets humiliated, but hushed, because some people were trying to speculate Percy's godly parentage. Someone was dumb enough to suggest the god of toilets and pipes.

Said person's idea was immediately shot down.

I was lying on my bunk, reflecting on my life, when Luke came in and announced to line up for dinner.

"Eleven," he yelled. "Fall in!"

I jumped down from my bunk, pulled out my leather bead necklace from below my jacket, and eased my way to the front. Campers who were still relatively new took a glance at my necklace and hastily stepped aside so that I could stand towards the front, only two places behind Luke. For dinnertime, we filed in line of seniority. Although it made things convenient for me, I was always uncomfortable with the privileges of seniority around camp. I don't even belong in cabin eleven since Hermes isn't my godly parent. It's only because I have the second most years among other demigods in attending camp, behind Luke and Annabeth, despite my unknown parentage, that I can have some seniority in cabin eleven. Since I still haven't been claimed even with four years in camp, some people talk about me behind my back.

In front of me, the Stoll brothers grinned at me. I smiled back, but checked my pockets. Travis and Connor Stoll had a game of 'How long does it take of Jade to notice we stole something from her' going ever since I first caught them trying to reach into my pockets. Luke, being the tallest and oldest in the cabin looked over all of us and met my eyes.

"Is Percy alive so far?"

I glanced over my shoulder and saw the boy at the way end of the line. I jerked a thumb behind me.

"Yeah, he survived Clarisse."

A corner tugged upwards on Luke's mouth and he chuckled, "I heard about that."

"Clarisse totally took a face full of toilet water," Travis cackled and Connor laughed with him. I couldn't help but break into a grin. It _was_ pretty funny, even though I did kind of regret letting Percy get dragged like that.

Luke led our cabin out to the commons yard where the campers continued arranging themselves by seniority. I saw the non-demigod camp inhabitants also heading up towards the mess hall pavilion up the hill. I took a look around camp.

When the sun goes down in camp, you could see how everything turns into a different kind of beautiful. Camp Half-Blood during the day is very picturesque with the stereotypical sunny, green landscape camp, but at night, the place starts looking more like stuff of Greek myths.

Shadows elongate and expand while Greek marble structures and blazing torches around the entire camp light up the pillars. Some of the cabins begin glowing now that the natural sunlight is gone. Almost everything gets washed in shades of yellow, red, purple, and blue.

In the mess hall, I followed Luke to the picnic tables who sat next to Percy, so I sat across from them, waiting for the platters of food brought by the wood nymphs. I made sure to say my thanks to the nymphs before shoveling food onto my plate.

When it was time for campers to sacrifice a portion of their meal, I took my plate and glass of ice tea with me to the center of the pavilion where a huge fire roared. Not all of the campers take their drink with them, since it was optional, but I'm a generous person. I poured in a good amount of my drink and dropped the biggest butter roll while muttering, "Hermes, thanks for letting me stay at your cabin." I took my time inhaling the smell of a Thanksgiving stuffed turkey.

Then I also pushed best-looking barbeque rib into the fire with my fork, murmuring, "Hypnos". I caught a whiff of fresh baked pumpkin bread before scurrying back to cabin eleven's large picnic table. Percy got into an animated discussion with Luke about sword fighting and all the other camp activities Annabeth had showed him earlier. I didn't speak. Only talked when I got asked questions in between.

When everyone had finished giving their sacrifices and cleared their plates, the wine god gave news updates on camp activities, like the capture the flag for this Friday. Mr. D also gave the introduction of a new camper. Peter Johnson.

Down at the amphitheater, a child of Hephaestus was quick to start a campfire while Apollo's cabin got their instruments ready for a sing-along.

In the middle of a song, I saw Percy singing. He looked happy and comfortable, joking with the other campers, unaware of what befell him for the years to come. I let out a breath through my nose and rubbed the temples of my head, feeling a growing headache.

 _It's beginning._

* * *

We don't talk very often since Percy spends a lot of time with Annabeth, catching up on demigod stuff like learning Greek and camp life. We exchange words of greeting when we pass by each other, maybe some small talk if we happen to be in the same classes, but it wasn't nothing close. Three days into Percy's arrival at camp, it was cabin eleven's schedule for a sword-fighting lesson.

Percy's first sword-fighting lesson.

Conner and I had paired up for dueling. He was being sneaky with his blade, catching me off guard a few times, but I had been watching Percy a distance away quietly the whole time. I was curious. Percy Jackson _was_ supposedly a great sword fighter. Although all I could see was him getting battered by Luke. Then again, Luke was the best sword fighter I have ever seen so far. Even Chiron had said it's been centuries since he had seen someone with the potential to go up against Achilles, without his curse, of course.

Cabin eleven later formed a circle to observe Luke's demonstration with Percy. Most of the Hermes guys were suppressing smiles. They've been used as demos before and were enthusiastic to see the newbie in their position. Percy gave me a wide-eyed look, as though to convey a plea of help. I grinned a little and flashed a thumbs-up. He'll be fine.

I whistled when Luke showed us a disarming technique.

"Fancy sword work," I muttered. I hadn't meant for anyone to hear, but Connor did.

"I bet you our shares of s'mores tonight that I'll pull it off before you do," he whispered. We had campfires often, but s'mores came around on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with each camper getting two servings only. Camp Half-Blood would be on a tight budget, even with gold drachmas, if each camper could have as many s'mores as they want.

"You're on," I whispered back. I could go a campfire night without s'mores. Connor couldn't, so it'd be amusing to see him beg for his treats tonight.

We paused in our bet to observe Luke and Percy spar. I could see everyone expecting Luke to pull off the technique first, but I watched with clear eyes. I saw it coming before it happened.

Luke started increasing the pressure of swordplay once he realized Percy was keeping up. When Percy began slipping into the defensive, I saw a momentary determined flash in his eyes of _What the heck, let's just try it_ before he twisted and pushed down Luke's sword with his own.

Luke's sword hit the stone ground with a clang and all the other campers went silent. I let out a low whistle and covered a smile. Percy looked like he regretted very much what he just did.

"Um, sorry."

I took a careful peek at Luke to judge his expression. The older demigod seemed to still be processing what had just happened. And then his scarred face broke into a grin.

"Sorry? By the gods, Percy, why are you sorry? Show me that again!"

True to my expectation, there was no contest the second time around.

 _Should I be happy that everything is going according to the books?_

At the campfire that night, Connor groveled for five minutes before I laughed and handed him back his graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows. The Apollo kids were already singing a song. It was slow and full of corny lyrics, so everyone was giggling at each other, sarcastically singing and making exaggerating hand motions. Many had their hands in the air, swaying to the slow rhythm with bright grins on their faces.

I hummed along, but didn't dare sing a word aloud. Percy came and sat nearby when he noticed the display Connor had set beforehand.

"Hey, how come you're not singing?"

Luke walked over and handed me and Percy both a thin metal skewer stick to stab our marshmallows with.

"Last time Jade sung a slow campfire song, she made more than half of the campers fall asleep before finishing a verse," Luke laughed, remembering the memory. I smiled. It was one of the first major signs as to who my godly parent was.

Percy raised his eyebrows and gaped at me. I wiggled my fingers at him.

"Seriously?"

I nodded and grinned, "Seriously."

"Is that another thing that a child of Hermes can do?"

 _Ah, Luke doesn't like that name._

"No, I'm unclaimed actually," I replied and uneasily glanced at Luke. Predictably, a dark shadow came over his face. Grimacing, I changed the subject away from godly parents.

"So how's camp life treating you so far?"

It's against my policy to actively engage with people in general. However angry and upset people bothered me more, so I could bend that rule once in awhile.

Percy immediately gave an excited answer. Luke's previously cold eyes warmed a little. In the end, even if he was a traitor, he still cared about lost campers. It was touching.

What I was more focused on though, was tomorrow's capture the flag game.

Everything snowballs from there.

* * *

How'd you like it? Leave reviews, comments, and constructive advice! They're the best motivators for writing. Thanks for reading!


	2. TLT - It's Beginning (II)

I do not own anything of Percy Jackson and the series, Rick Riordan does, bless him. I follow the books and the plot and I do reuse some dialogue, but I alter them and fit it into my story. Again, copyright is all Rick Riordan's, I repeat, I do not own _**anything**_ _._

A little longer than the first chapter, enjoy!

* * *

Capture the flag, in normal circumstances, is competitive and fun.

Capture the flag, Camp Half-Blood style, is a battle zone and crazy.

The war chants get your blood pumping and you could _feel_ the Mist crackling in the air with so many demigods geared for a fight.

I listened absentmindedly to Chiron, the referee and battlefield medic, as he repeated rules and all the technicalities of the game. My stomach was pleasantly full from dinner and making me slightly drowsy. Creek is the boundary line. Entire forest is fair game. All magic items allowed. I've protested at that one several times, do you realize how much of an advantage it has? Banners must be prominently displayed and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but not bound or gagged. No killing or maiming (but accidents happen). Yadda, yadda, blah, blah.

For this game, the camp has split up. Athena has an alliance with Apollo and Hermes, the two biggest cabins in camp. Ares has joined with all the other cabins: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus.

It's expected that Athena's cabin would be leading since Athena is all about strategy and wisdom and all that, however Ares' cabin can be just as powerful. Most would expect the children of Ares being all brawns and no brains, but that's not the case. They have brains. They just use it in warfare and petty fights far too often.

I forced myself to concentrate when Chiron bellowed, "Arm yourselves!"

Immediately, everyone began bustling at the picnic tables, strapping on armor and talking excitedly.

I scanned the crowd with a critical eye to see if anyone brought in troublesome additions to their armor. Everyone had their own preference of defense. The Hephaestus cabin in particular always had some sort of plating they used to cover themselves with that was tricky to deal with. Weapons would vibrate in contact, forcing the wielder to drop the weapon as a result. In contrast, my gear was simple. Light coverage, enough for the vital spots, and built for mobility. I preferred sneaking around and wasn't made to be a tank or a heavy hitter.

In addition to the armor, there was a lot of Celestial bronze being carried around. Spears, swords, javelins, shields, knives, and guns of all sizes were scattered among the campers. I spotted a gardening hoe and a shovel lying on Demeter's picnic table. I raised a brow. I had seen them working the soil with those and those tools could crack the hardest of rocks and gravel.

I mentally reminded myself to not go near a camper from cabin four. Getting beaten by one of those would be embarrassing.

I wouldn't be using my preferred weapon of choice today though. I casually flipped a borrowed Celestial bronze long dagger between my hands and checked my armor. Since we were on the same sides, our cabin was able to use some weapons from the Athena cabin's shed if the ones offered to us on the table didn't suit our tastes. Privileges for shower times, chore schedules, and slots for activities have been exchanged in return.

I took a glance at _Katoptris_ and turned it slowly in my hand. Even if it was only meant for decoration and ceremonial purposes, Katoptris was a fine blade. It well crafted, easy to use. At a certain angle, there was a flash of an image against the many lighted torches. However instead of seeing myself in the reflection, I saw green light. A trident spinning.

I made a 'tsk' sound and sheathed the knife away at my right side. I didn't need a reminder from an all-seeing dagger on what was going to happen tonight.

When I finished readying myself, I sat on the side of the picnic table, swinging my legs idly, watching everyone else scrambling. I helped the occasional camper who couldn't reach over a shoulder to tighten a strap. Then I saw Luke beckoning for me where the unit leaders of our team had gathered in a circle. The group was breaking up, so Annabeth must have finished explaining her battle plans. I tugged on the Stoll brothers' sleeves.

"Luke's calling us," I said to their questioning faces. The three of us walked over to our cabin's head counselor. Along the way, I swatted Travis' hands away from the flare stick hanging from my belt.

"Annabeth told us the strategy. Connor and Travis, you guys take one more person to scan perimeters of stragglers and lay traps all around the holes in our defense around the banner. Be sure to use trip wires and explosives, so that reinforcements can know where the other team is coming from. It's covert."

"Got it," they chorused and scampered off after grabbing a camper from our team to follow them.

"Jade, you're on border patrol."

I frowned at that.

"I already know I'm on border patrol."

Luke grinned and his scar gave off a disturbingly sinister glisten in the torchlight.

"With Percy, but like the Stoll brothers, be _covert_ ," he added and gave me a sly look. My shoulders sagged down when I got the hidden message.

 _Watch over Percy, but don't let yourself be seen._

"This is what Annabeth wants?"

"Yep." Luke clapped a hand on my shoulder before rallying his own private unit. I sighed and stalked off to my own position, keeping my eyes peeled for Percy. As usual, Annabeth formed a plan, but wouldn't let the rest of us know about it. Obviously, Percy-boy's the bait for the Ares cabin. Clarisse clearly hasn't let go of the bathroom incident and Annabeth was playing that to an advantage. Yet I couldn't think of why I'm need as back up. Unseen, even. Have I been downgraded to being a babysitter?

 _Talk about being useless._

When I reached down the creek where the water trickled into smooth rocks, I climbed up a tree with enough generous foliage to cover me once I gained height. After positioned myself comfortably against the trunk and branches, I waited. I waved away some bugs and tried to avoid moving too much. To my displeasure, the night was warm and sticky, my least favorite combination of weather. Fireflies popped in and out of view as I forced myself to stay awake. Despite my suspected godly parentage, I wasn't as sleepy as I thought I'd be all the time. Instead, I had three modes: caffeine-alert, in-a-daze, and sleep-anywhere-that-works. There was no in-between setting among the three.

However for tonight, I actually didn't have to try very hard. Anticipation, nervousness, and some adrenaline were keeping me alert and tense. Ready. The drowsiness from before was gone.

I heard some bushes rustling and the soon-to-be-claimed Percy appeared and stood next to the water. He looked awkward with his oversized helmet leaning lopsided on his head, huge shield, and unmatched sword. Percy-boy glanced around, checking if he really was alone. I pitied him a little. He seemed so alone, unsure. Unaware.

I snapped back to attention when the conch horn blew. Whoops and yells traveled in the air and the sound of clanking metal and campers crossing blades echoed in the woods. Austin, from the Apollo cabin, leaped out of nowhere and bounded over the creek like a deer into enemy territory. I had to refrain myself from laughing at Percy's pouting face. After a few seconds, only the sounds of flowing water and crickets chirping were heard.

I was planning on relaxing in my tree when goosebumps prickled my skin and a chill crept up my back. My body shivered and I rubbed my arms. A low growl, as though coming from an oversized canine, came from somewhere close by. Something was out in the forest. Hellhound.

Just as I was about to reach for Katoptris, the growling stopped and five warriors in red charged from the other side of the creek, yelling war cries. I covered my ears. The children of Ares were always so vocal in their fights. It seemed like the Greek monster had retreated for the moment so I put my focus on the upcoming scene.

Clarisse screamed for Percy's blood and her siblings split up, surrounding the poor dude from both sides. I kept my hand hovering over the dagger's hilt because Clarisse's five-foot-long spear was looking especially mean in the moment. The barbed metal tip was even flickering with red light. Percy was hopelessly outnumbered.

"Move to the left, you moron," I muttered under my breath. Although Percy had no chance in defeating these campers, they were experienced Ares' kids after all; he would've had an easier time if he'd only move to side to avoid being completely surrounded. Then he wouldn't have to face all five at once. They wouldn't be able to attack him all at the same time either.

I ignored the guilt settling inside my chest as I watched Percy get thrashed around by Clarisse and her siblings. It was pretty much over once he let the electric spear hit his shield.

"Give him a haircut," Clarisse said. "Grab his hair."

I grit my teeth. Clarisse was annoying, and always will be, but as a girl, cutting off hair was a little over the line. Luckily, Percy managed to pick himself up on his feet before anyone could touch him. Clarisse slammed down a poorly executed sword slash with her spear. More sparks flew and Percy's other arm dropped. I strained my ears to hear their conversation.

"The flag is that way," Percy let out. I could tell he was angry, but he was tired and hurt.

And I made a face. He gave away our flag's location, the idiot.

"Yeah," one of her siblings said. Was that Sherman? "But see, we don't care about the flag. We care about the guy who made our cabin look stupid."

Don't be dumb, Percy, you need to alive for the next couple of years at least.

"You do that without my help," the boy retorted and immediately, I could see written on his face _oops._ The cabin five siblings looked enraged and I could tell Percy was in deep trouble.

"Yeah, you better look sorry," I huffed and jumped down from my comfy tree. Annabeth must have purposely stationed me here to keep Percy from getting pulverized since he had such a loose mouth. Clarisse was going to pummel the kid. Even though they weren't too far away, she was already getting a few hits in. I winced and quickened my pace when her spear struck Percy's armored breastplate at the rib. He was going to feel that one in his teeth. Sherman slashed at Percy's arm, leaving a long cut, deep enough for blood to start dripping down. Percy's face paled at the sight of his own blood. I forced myself from breaking into a sprint.

 _Be careful. Don't be so involved._

I walked up behind them and kept my right hand on the knife's hilt. Keeping an even voice, I interrupted their bullying.

"Hey, Chiron said no maiming."

Percy jerked his head up to me in shock. I could see comprehension registering in his face. How I had been hiding the entire time, simply watching him getting beat up. Sherman turned on me and sneered, "Oops. Guess I lost my dessert privilege." Sherman stared me down and pushed Percy into the creek without even glancing behind him.

"Let's see how you fight, goody two shoes."

Sherman swung his sword at me while his siblings splashed into the water after Percy. I whipped out Katoptris, holding it in reverse grip, and met Sherman's blade at midpoint. I grunted under the strain. Sherman was a year older than me, and even though I had gone to camp earlier, he was still a year rounding camper. Unless I finished the fight quickly, he'd soon gain the upper hand. Since I had a shorter reach with my dagger, I needed to decrease the distance between us, so I pushed forward, letting our weapons slide against each other. Once I was less than a feet away with the dagger still in my hand, I pushed away his blade with my own and viciously elbowed the back of Sherman's sword hand, letting the weapon drop to the ground. I kicked it a good distance away and loosely pointed the tip of my knife at Sherman's neck. The son of Ares cursed and held his hands up, knowing defeat when he saw it. I should have taken him prisoner, but it wasn't worth it because one, I knew the game was almost over, and two, Clarisse's screaming caught both of our attention.

Percy was holding the broken pieces of Clarisse's precious electric spear, surrounded by stunned and beaten campers in red.

"You idiot," she shrieked.

I had to agree with that.

"You corpse-breath worm! You-"

Percy smacked the daughter of Ares between the eyes with the butt of his sword before she could finish another insult.

As if on cue, elated cheering erupted from the other side of the creek and I saw Luke racing toward the boundary line with the red team's banner with his unit made up of a couple of guys from cabin eleven. A few of Apollo's were fighting off disgruntled Hephaestus kids. The scene made me a little envious of the action I had missed out on. I could've been a part of that, but no, I was stuck on babysitting duty.

"A trick!" Clarisse shouted. "It was a trick." She muttered a curse and yelled at her siblings to follow her. Sherman bent over for his weapon and they tried running after Luke. Percy and I, still in water, followed them, but it didn't matter because we had won. The instant Luke ran into our territory, the red banner shimmered and turned to silver. A huge caduceus, the symbol of cabin eleven, replaced the boar and spear symbol. Chiron cantered out from his spot and blew the conch horn, signaling the game to an end. I had a vague smile and clapped when the blue team picked up Luke and started carrying him around on their shoulders. It was interesting to see that he could be so relaxed and happy, at ease with his fellow campmates, but still be a traitor secretly.

"Thanks for watching after Percy." I turned to my left, but didn't see Annabeth. She must have her dumb blue baseball cap on. I shrugged and shot a mild glare where her head should be. Which must have looked weird to onlookers since I was facing no one.

"Don't stick me to babysitting next time."

"I was planning to come back to help him, but in case our cabin was held up, I stuck you there just in case. In the end, the back up plan worked."

"Yeah, yeah. Go talk to Percy now," I waved her away and took an uneasy scan of our surroundings. Still waiting for that hellhound.

"I'm right here." Percy appeared next to me. He gave me a weird look.

"Why are you talking to air?"

I ignored his question. I found myself doing that often to Percy. It wasn't like I hated him or anything, but I had to let everything take its natural course of how things are supposed to go in this world. And that meant pretending I didn't hear things occasionally.

"Where the heck did you learn to fight like that?" Annabeth asked. The air shimmered, and she materialized with a Yankees cap in her hand. Percy paused for a moment, gaping at that fact she had been _invisible_ , but quickly forgot about his surprise, growing anger evident on his face.

"You set me up. You put me there because you knew Clarisse would come after me, while you sent Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out," he bit out.

Annabeth dismissed his irritation. "I told you. Athena always, always has a plan." I might've given a little grunt at that. I appreciated the Athena kids because they're really earnest, hard-driven, goal oriented demigods who, for the most part, succeed because of their plans. However they had a habit leaving people out of the loop so that their plans could work perfectly. Even though we all knew that the results would justify the intentions, it was still annoying. Since the conversation was going the way it's supposed to, I slowly turned the other way and tried to get away from the creek while Percy-boy was still venting.

"A plan to get me pulverized. And you!"

My foot froze midair and I glanced over my shoulder. I pointed to myself in disbelief.

"Me?"

"Yes, you! Jade! You were just hiding in that tree when Clarisse and her crazy siblings were smashing me!" Percy even stomped a foot down to show his frustration. Water splashed and sprayed at my feet.

Annabeth defended me. "I wanted it to appear that you were _alone_ , so Clarisse would go after you. That's why Jade stayed out of sight. Besides, I came as fast as I could, but...you didn't need my help. Or Jade's help either."

"Good job going against Clarisse," I complimented. I only threw that out there because an agitated Percy was making _me_ feel even more nervous. I wasn't supposed to be around in this moment. I think I only said that to placate myself.

 _Come on, hellhound, any second now._

"Is that a sword cut?"

"What do you think?" Percy sarcastically replied.

Annabeth frowned. "No. It _was_ a sword cut. Look at it now." The three of us watched Percy's injury disappear without a trace of blood. The long red line on his arm vanished and a new white skin appeared in its stead. Even the white was fading, and within a few more seconds, there was no trace of a sword cut.

I whistled. Self-healing.

I'd kill for that.

Well. Not kill, but enough to make me consider it.

Percy's eyes grew large and started stammering at his confusion while holding his arm at a distance as though it was growing feathers. The clamor of campers celebrating went unnoticed as Annabeth set her mind to the first clue about Percy's godly parentage.

"Step out of the water, Percy." Even I could see the thinking gears turning in Annabeth's head.

"Wh-what?" His eyes were so unfocused and glazed that I was getting impatient. I took his shield arm and yanked him, somewhat gently, out of the creek. Suddenly, Percy's knees buckled and his arm grew slack. He would've face planted if I hadn't stepped forward as a support, which was strange. He wasn't _that_ tired after the game in the book, was he?

I shifted him carefully, so that I wouldn't accidentally stab him with Katoptris, and had him leaning on my shoulder. Percy was still recovering from the unexpected energy drain when I heard that canine growl again. It was much closer, and Percy's body stiffened, telling me he also heard it.

A low and guttural howl ripped through the forest. The campers' cheering behind us died instantly and Chiron shouted in Ancient Greek.

" _Stand ready! My bow!"_

Annabeth drew her sword and I cursed. My hands were occupied holding up Percy. My eyes darted around, trying to locate the monster.

 _About time. Let's get this over with._

Percy saw it before me.

"What is that?" He asked in a faint voice.

On a higher elevation was a black hellhound the size of a rhino with lava-red eyes and a complete set of dagger-sized fangs. The beast was huge. Larger than any other beastly monster I had seen. It looked at me for a moment and then shifted its gaze next to me. To Percy.

At least it got its priority right.

"Hellhound," I breathed.

The oversized monster dog crouched, ready to pounce.

Everyone was frozen, in fear or waiting for Chiron's orders, I didn't know, but Annabeth was the first to make a move. She jumped out in front of us, clutching her sword.

"Jade! Take Percy and run!"

 _Oh come on, why_ _ **me**_ _._

I hefted Percy and tried to step back, but the hound was fast. Too fast. It leapt over Annabeth's sword and crashed into Percy, forcing the both of us to stumble backwards. The sound of razor-sharp claws ripping through Percy's metal armor screamed in my ear and I yanked my arms free of the baggage, tightening my grip on Katoptris. Campers weren't cheering anymore; they were yelling their heads off in fear.

There were no second thoughts. No thought-out-thinking. Just an automatic, natural instinct in what I had been taught to do at Camp Half-Blood.

To kill Greek monsters.

I twirled Katoptris and with my back to the ground, I stabbed the hellhound's neck.

The monster yelped in pain and released its grip on Percy.

The dagger sunk in and in the back of my head, a part of me recoiled in disgust because I could _feel_ the blade sliding through flesh, but I steeled my fingers on the hilt and pushed the metal further into the hellhound. The planted knife was joined with a cluster of arrows that each made a "thump" sound when it hit the skin. With a grunt I kicked the two-ton monster away with both feet, its body landing heavily to the ground.

I scrambled to my feet, breathing deeply, and held out a hand to help Percy get to his feet. His hand was shaky, but I managed to heave him up. I had gotten away with only a few bruises on my back, but Percy was in worst state. His face lacked color and his eyes were wide-eyed in fright. His armor was shredded. His shirt was damp and covered in a dark liquid substance.

Blood.

I wasn't afraid of a bit of red, but Percy had a lot of blood on him.

I took in a shaky breath.

It had all happened in less than ten seconds. My sleeve felt damp. It wasn't blood, but a syrupy, clear substance. Hellhound drool.

I made a sound of disgust.

Chiron came closer with a bow in his hand. All the good feelings from the game were gone and replaced by an unsettling blanket of fear over the campers.

" _Di immortales!_ " Annabeth exclaimed. "That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't...they're not supposed to…they could only be..."

Chiron confirmed her suspicion. "Someone summoned it, someone inside camp." And at that, many campers broke out into whispers. How could someone in camp summon something so dangerous? Someone did something dangerous on purpose. Hellhounds of that size weren't simple to conjure. Summoning in general wasn't something campers knew either. And for what reason? Why did it attack Percy? Was it on intentionally targeting him?

Luke came closer. I warily looked at him from the corner of my eye. I could tell he was concerned, but honestly, for _what_? For Percy? Concerned that his plan wouldn't work? He was still holding the banner, but he could care less about it. Everyone didn't care about the game anymore. I could feel hysteria mounting among the campers. The fact that it entered camp meant that we were no longer safe. They were growing restless, they wanted answers. Someone snapped under the tense atmosphere.

"It's all Percy's fault! Percy summoned it!" Clarisse yelled. I made a sour face at her. I thought she was smarter than _that._

"Be quiet, child," Chiron said sharply. Clarisse immediately quieted and retreated into the crowd. I watched the body of the dead hellhound melt until it was nothing more than a shadow on the ground, sinking away. I had to appreciate the convenience of not having to clean up the carcass.

My fingers twitched. I tightened my fists and breathed deeply. My body was still jittery from all the action.

 _Too many things happening now, but it's not over yet._

Taking advantage of the moment, Annabeth ordered Percy to get into the water. Percy, probably being too tired to argue, complied and I could _see_ the changes once he stepped into the creek. Immediately, his back straightened and his legs weren't so wobbly. Clarity returned to his previously dazed eyes and his wounds were closing.

A bright light flashed for a millisecond and above Percy's head, was a hologram. The same image I had seen on Katoptris about an hour ago.

A three-tipped spear made of green light, spinning and gleaming against the dark.

Some of the campers behind me gasped. We all knew what it meant.

Percy stammered in confusion. He obviously didn't see the light above him.

"Look, I-I don't know why this is...I'm sorry…" he apologized. He apologizes a lot when he's confused, I noted.

Annabeth pointed above his head and Percy followed her finger and froze when he saw it too.

Annabeth murmured something I couldn't catch underneath her breath while Chiron raised his bow to command the attention of all the campers.

"It is determined," Chiron announced. Immediately, campers started kneeling. The Ares cabin took a fraction of a second longer, but soon enough, everyone was on their knees.

"My father?"

"Poseidon," said Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."

I kept my head down, but I cringed a little. So dramatic. Not all claimings were like that.

* * *

I don't want Jade too involved...yet...Muahahaha.

Review? Thank you!


	3. TLT - It's Beginning (III)

I do not own anything of Percy Jackson and the series, Rick Riordan does, bless him. I follow the books and the plot and I do reuse some dialogue, but I alter them and fit it into my story. Again, copyright is all Rick Riordan's, I repeat, I do not own _**anything**_ _._

* * *

x

* * *

Campers avoided Percy like the plague. It was a sad sight to see. Cabin mates had surrounded him the entire week and all of a sudden, he's now alone. The only person who really talked to him was Grover, but Grover didn't exactly count. He was a satyr.

I'd have to admit that even I didn't approach him often. However, I never went out of my way to avoid him because I didn't have to. Percy had his own schedule now that he was in a different cabin. He had an entire cabin to himself. Although I treasured my alone time, even I would be depressed in his situation. For the most part, he'd tag along cabin eleven for group activities since he couldn't do certain classes by himself. Sword classes with him were incredibly awkward. I wanted to slap my forehead many times when seeing campers practically scuttle to the other side, away from Percy. No one wanted to spar with him anymore after hearing how he had taken on Clarisse and her siblings. And plus the hellhound incident, Percy was basically an outcast. The only one who would actively approach him was Luke, so they had a lot of one-on-one fights. I've never seen Luke push anyone so hard in sword class before, so I did look every once in awhile when Percy would suddenly stumble and fall on his back. And while Percy was feeling bad, Annabeth wasn't any better with her mutterings every minute of the day.

After Percy's claiming, Annabeth had come straight to me and asked for my thoughts. She wanted to know if he'd be the one that was in the prophecy. Of course, I couldn't tell her even though I knew, so I answered with a truth and an omission of a truth. Annabeth can tell when people are being dishonest with her, so I get around that by telling truths, but not the truth that completely answers her questions.

So when she asked if Percy was "the one", I just shrugged.

"My dreams aren't telling me much," I told her. "I can't say."

Both of the statements were true. My dreams had shown me images, but they haven't revealed to me the complete identity of the demigod of the big prophecy. My dreams didn't have to, I already knew who it was, but regardless, the fact that my dreams did not tell me was the truth. And yes, I couldn't say either. It was the perfect response.

Annabeth only frowned and looked like she wanted to say something, but didn't. She liked forming ideas, plans, or some sort of list in her head before proposing things and she was having a hard time doing that after learning about Percy's parentage. Annabeth was getting frustrated because she didn't expect a child of Poseidon to come along. She had wanted a demigod like Thalia, one of Zeus and an amazing monster fighter, but this was not what she planned for; she got Percy, a demigod who only recently discovered his godly father and made dumb comments every day. Not only was Percy a newbie, he was a son of the sea god, an old rival of Athena. It seemed shortsighted and prejudiced to use history and godly parentage to judge another person, in my opinion, but I couldn't say that to Annabeth without her blowing up in my face.

It was almost two weeks after the hellhound attack when a storm rumbled into camp. Camp Half-Blood rarely has bad weather, so that meant an angry god caused these dark clouds. And judging by the rumbling and flashing lightning behind the grey sky, it must be Zeus.

I had always thought Zeus was a bit uptight, but of course, I could never say that thought out loud. He'd probably throw a lightning bolt at me or something.

All the campers knew about the weather patterns at Camp Half-Blood and they kept their eyes on the storm. Although the fact that the phenomenon was the result of the irate king of Olympus, I liked the sound of rain and thunder. It was something that lulled me into sleep. There was something about being curled up in cozy blankets and a nice pillow inside a comfy cabin with rain and wind outside that was soothing. I was planning on skipping camp activities today, I had even got settled in my bunk and everything, but a voice stopped me. The same voice that told cabin eleven 'lights out' every night.

"Jade, Annabeth wants to talk to you."

I sighed. Ever since Percy Jackson's arrival, it's been difficult to get a power nap. I'd get interrupted or something just comes up and I'd have to get out the cabin.

"Jade, come on," Luke implored. "She says she doesn't have much time, and," Luke's voice dropped to a whisper so other campers wouldn't hear.

"I think she's going on a quest with Percy. Grover will probably be with him too."

My hand twitched at that.

Minutes later, Annabeth and I were talking at my favorite spot next to the lake. The water there was churning even though it wasn't connected to any moving bodies of waters.

"Even Poseidon is bothered," Annabeth explained, catching my gaze.

"Luke said you're going on a quest?" I laid on my back and folded my arms behind my head.

Annabeth turned a little pink at the name. I couldn't help but tease her a little.

"Oh come on," I said jokingly. "I only said his name and your entire face shoots lovesick hearts."

"My face does not," she replied hotly and then quieted.

"I volunteered to go with Percy. He can't take anyone else. It has to be me." Annabeth said it like she wanted to convince herself that she was right. She was subconsciously asking for confidence and so I gave it to her.

"Well, it seems like you're the only one who can keep him alive."

Annabeth's spine immediately straightened and she nodded resolutely. I had a feeling that Annabeth used to look up to Thalia like an older sister. As a younger sister, you'd want some sort of guidance and special attention from an older sibling. She had Luke, but not an older sister now that Thalia was gone. I think I might have unintentionally filled that spot in a small degree. We were only a year apart, but Annabeth knew that I didn't exactly act my age so she treated me differently.

"Chiron asked you to have the camp store loan Percy mortal money and drachmas," Annabeth informed me.

"Sure, how much?"

"A hundred dollars and twenty drachmas should be enough. We have a time limit of ten days, counting today," Annabeth replied thoughtfully.

"Whoa, wait, _ten days?_ "

I didn't know that. Ten days was one heck of a deadline.

"I'm not allowed to say anything else. Percy's supposed to get his quest determined from the Oracle right now, so I don't know everything yet." We let a moment of silence settle between us. I personally have never seen the mummy upstairs the Big House and I hoped that I never would.

Please, no prophecies for me.

"You should head over to Chiron's office," I said as I stood up and brushed grass off my jacket. "I'll go to the store now."

"Yeah," Annabeth started walking away and asked a final question.

"You'll see me off, right?"

I rolled my shoulders back and grinned. "Of course, I have to give you guys the money loan from the camp store. Besides, I'll make sure Luke is there too."

Annabeth turned red this time and stomped away. I chuckled and walked to the store. Katie Gardner was behind the cash register, tending to some plants that sat at the windowsill. I liked watching the Demeter cabin at work in their gardens. It was like watching magic to see how they take care of their plants. I've never seen a plant go bad with a child of Demeter near it. Even the most withered and unnaturally yellow of plants turned healthy with their care.

"Hey Jade, watcha need?"

"Chiron told me to get a money loan for a quest. One hundred dollars and twenty golden drachmas," I told her.

Katie started to search the back closet, where the drachmas lay when she turned around and put her hands on her hips.

"This isn't one of Travis and Connor's tricks, is it?" She glared at me.

I sighed. "No, it's not."

Katie scanned my face, but didn't hold her stern gaze for very long. After a few moments, she handed me a pouch full of cash and gold coins with a critical eye on me.

"If I ever hear about the Stoll brothers buying something...," she warned.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll take responsibility." I was about to exit the store, when I paused at the door.

"Oh yeah, Katie, did you ever wonder about your last name? You know, since it's Gardner and your mom's Demeter?" Katie's glare intensified further so I backed away and slipped through the door.

"Yeesh, can't even take a joke," I muttered and headed to cabin eleven to get Luke. Thankfully, the Hermes place was devoid of campers. If the Stoll brothers or any Hermes child had heard the jingle of drachmas inside the pouch that was in my hand, they would've swiped it without warning.

"Luke," I called out. "I'm going to Half-Blood Hill to give Percy and his party some cash and drachmas. You coming?"

Luke's head poked out of the doorway and nodded.

"Yeah, just hold on, I'm getting something for him too," he replied and I heard some rummaging before he finally came out of the cabin carrying a pair of basketball shoes.

"You're giving him your winged shoes?"

"Yep." And Luke didn't elaborate any further, silently putting the topic to an end. I didn't mind. It wasn't like I wanted to get involved anyway. We trekked up to the tall pine tree where Chiron, Argus, Grover, Annabeth, and Percy had already gathered. Grover was standing next to Chiron, who was in his wheelchair. Grover looked like he was going to chew the nails off his hands out of nervousness. I had to hide a smile when Annabeth blushed at the sight of Luke.

I handed her the money pouch and whispered in her ear.

"So obvious." Annabeth promptly shot me an embarrassed look. Luke explained to Percy how to activate the basketball shoes and had a semi-sweet touching moment with him at the same time. I wanted to gag. None of the people around me were even aware about his intentions. Even Chiron.

And weren't those winged shoes cursed or something? Something about dragging you to down _there?_

"Thanks, man," Percy said to Luke. When Luke stepped away, the attention suddenly turned to me.

Oh, I was expected to say some sort of goodbye too. I cleared my throat.

"Don't die."

Short and simple. Chiron's serious face didn't even twitch. He probably whole-heartedly agreed with my parting words. Argus didn't say anything. I've never heard him talk before so I didn't expect him to now.

Percy only blinked back and nodded, at loss of how to respond to my crude words. Annabeth scowled at me while Grover bleated.

Luke nudged my shoulder. "Be nice," he chided, so I tried again.

"Please, don't die….?" It sounded like a question. Luke huffed and took over the rest of the goodbye routines. Watching Annabeth getting hugged by Luke was downright amusing and I waved goodbye to Percy and Grover. Chiron stayed behind to give the travelling party his last words of advice. Argus was the driver and had already gotten into the camp van that was used to transport boxes of strawberries.

They were going to live. They had to.

I gave Annabeth a tight hug and then followed Luke, in the direction of our cabin, fully intending to spend the rest of the day sleeping and dreaming.

 _I should crash on mom's dreams later tonight just to let her know how I'm doing._

* * *

It's been two days after Percy had left for his quest. Camp Half-Blood has settled back into its usual pace, somewhat, now that there weren't thundering clouds hanging over our heads. Cabin eleven was having our usual sword-fighting lesson. After Luke demonstrated today's technique, we split off into pairs, practicing. Normally, I'd be with one of the Stoll brothers, but today I was facing Luke. It wasn't like I had never sparred with him, but still, it wasn't too often when I got to. He was always helping one of the more inexperienced campers.

"Can I ask you for some girl advice?"

In the middle of crossing blades, I tripped over flat ground and looked at Luke warily. The situation was weird.

It's always Luke who gave advice. He's the head counselor. He has the most years at camp and pretty much knows the life of a demigod inside out. Heck, he ran away from his home and survived while fighting off monsters by himself. Basically, Luke doesn't _need_ help for anything. And why the heck would he need girl advice for? He's hot.

Totally involuntarily, I glanced and might've given Luke an elevator look without him noticing. He was wearing his usual camp outfit of sleeveless orange t-shirt, cutoffs, and sneakers. Sweat glistened on his toned arms and neck and beaded his face. He looked alive, eyes bright and alert from sparring. I probably had the same half-crazed look since I was sweating just as much as he was. His muscles were also coiled and bulging.

A part of my brain I didn't approve of purred appreciatively at the sight. Most teenagers would have suppressed the hormonal urge, but I let the feeling pass over me like water. Since I was thirteen, my body was undergoing puberty. I figured out that the best way to deal with the physical changes was to simply acknowledge them and go with the flow. The method has been working fairly well mentally whenever I felt stupid pheromones flooding my brain. Therefore, I acknowledged the fact that my hormonal raging body was reacting at the sight of Luke's own toned body.

I jabbed at him with my practice sword before asking him.

"What kind of girl advice?"

Even though he was already flushed from exercise, Luke's face turned even pinker.

"Like, get-to-know-a-girl advice."

"So you wanna be her friend?" I asked in false innocence.

Luke performed an unnecessarily sharp shank towards my left knee, my weakest spot of defense.

I made a pathetic block and scowled when the sword was forced out of my grip.

"Alright, alright, so it's how-to-get-a-girlfriend advice."

Rude.

Luke and I shared cleanup duty for sword fighting lessons, so when we were finished, I helped him gather all the swords and put them back in their sheaths. We walked to the shed together to hang them on the racks and I couldn't help but get curious. What kind of girl makes Luke ask for advice?

"So…,"I drawled. "If I'm going to help you with girl stuff, I need to know who she is."

Luke's back tensed, but he gritted his teeth and mumbled a name aloud.

"Silena."

Silena Beauregard.

Oh, Annabeth was not going to be happy if she ever finds out about this.

I nearly stop in my tracks when another thought hits me.

 _Silena was a spy for Kronos' army during the final battle at Manhattan. Is Luke making a move on her now?_

"You won't tell anyone?"

I gulped. It's at times like these when Luke's scar suddenly gains a more threatening look.

"I won't."

"You promise?"

I was about carelessly say 'promise', but a third thought hit me like a brick.

 _Charlie dies. Charles Beckendorf dies because of a leak on intel for that one attack on a cruise ship, right? He dies because Silena gave away that information._

Charlie was cool. I liked him as a fellow friend and camper. A lot. A lot as in _I don't want him to die and would willingly risk to change something so that his death wouldn't happen._

"Promise," I lied. My fingers were crossed in my pocket.

We left the shed and happened to pass by the Aphrodite cabin at the pegasus stables, who were all in the middle of their morning riding session. As expected, Silena was at the head of the, er, flock? Herd? While in midair, Silena caught sight of us and waved.

Luke and I waved back and sat on one of the sturdy wooden fences that lined the stables. My eyes followed Silena as she raced across the sky on a pegasus. There was a slight tinge of envy that I became uncomfortable with as she maneuvered skillfully and gracefully in the air. I could never get completely used riding a pegasus.

We waited for the Aphrodite campers to finish and Silena soon walked over to us. Actually, Silena has a figure and face of a fashion model, so her gait was more of a runway strut. But it didn't make her look arrogant, Silena was too nice to push people around. I muffled a yawn with my hand and tugged on my hoodie, flicking the hood over my head. The fact that even though the daughter of Aphrodite had just flown through the air moments ago and still looked perfect didn't help mask the scent of sweat I carried. Deodorant could only work so far when you're sword fighting.

When Luke suddenly groaned, I followed his line of view and made a face. Another camper of my age, Drew Tanaka, was scampering after Silena like a follower. Drew idolized Silena for her popularity and beauty, but just as Silena was kind, Drew was fake polite. As they got closer, I noticed Drew eyeing Luke.

Gross.

Silena was all smiles and even I felt the corners of my own lips turning up without meaning to. Since Silena was a genuine person, her powers as a daughter of Aphrodite affected people easily.

"Jade! Luke! What's up?"

Luke shot a slight panicky look at me.

Oh God, he wasn't _that_ hopeless, was he? Does he actually like her?

Even though I was supposed to play as wingman, I had a legitimate question for her to get a conversation started.

"I wanted to ask, since you're good with the pegasus and might know, what's a group of pegasus called?"

Silena laid a hand on her hip, leaning on one leg, and squinted at the stables. I saw Luke's eyes outlining the curve of her hip and legs. I tried not to roll my eyes. I was supposed to be the one dealing with messed up hormones.

"Hmm, well a herd is for horses and a flock is for birds, but for pegasus...Luke, what do you think?"

Luke snapped out of his ogling.

"Um, uh, a flock-herd?"

This time I did roll my eyes.

"Fabulous answer," I complimented sarcastically.

Drew batted her eyelashes and gushed, "Well, _I_ think it works. How about we talk over at the lake?"

Although none of us moved, my legs suddenly itched. Charmspeak, I realized to my horror. Drew was already working on her charmspeak.

Thankfully, our chat didn't last much longer because the conch horn blared to indicate lunchtime. Hermes' table, as usual, was crowded and the Stoll brothers were flinging vegetables at the Demeter kids.

"So," I started conversationally. "What are your plans, if you ask her out?"

I wasn't worried about other people eavesdropping. Everyone was too engrossed in the food fight that had erupted once Katie had retaliated by throwing her knife and spoon at Connor and Travis, respectively.

Luke ran a hand through his hair and grimaced.

"Sword fighting?"

I snorted. "Silena loves sword fighting just as much as the next Aphrodite child, and there are none who do."

Luke winced. "Show her my sword?"

I grinned.

"You wanna show her your sword?" I repeated and raised an eyebrow suggestively.

Luke choked on his water and pounded his chest, coughing out fluids.

"WHAT?"

"Your sword," I said. "You know, the new one you got recently." I tilted my head, pretending obliviousness.

"Luke, that is what you meant, right?"

Luke glared at me, but didn't say anything. Once he finished his plate of food, he got up and hung around the Aphrodite table, predictably close to Silena. When I cracked jokes, they normally had a consequence of befalling embarrassment as someone's expense. I also happened to be the only one who has the nerve to make even slightly sexual jokes, but it gave amusing reactions nonetheless.

Lunch was quick and easy-going, but what happened _after_ lunch was _not._

Only fifteen minutes after our plates and silverware had been cleared, I sprinted into Chiron's office, panting.

"Chiron-,"I breathed. "-fight, down at the Big House. It's pretty bad." I held onto the doorframe for support. Chiron had been sitting on his wheelchair, but the second I told him the news, he rose up to his natural form of centaur.

"Show me," he commanded. I gulped and nodded. A serious Chiron in discipline mode was always a force to be reckoned with. The hard look in his eye reminded me of how long he's been having his job as a teacher to demigods, but it also comforted me, knowing that with his years of experience, he could handle anything.

I ran outside and Chiron galloped next to me. We soon reached the meadow in front of the Big House where dozens of campers were facing off. My mouth tightened to a grim line when I saw the sight. The Ares cabin, backed by Aphrodite and Apollo were screaming and yelling at Athena's kids, who weren't as rowdy as the other three, but their facial expressions weren't entirely pleasant. Luke was at the porch of the Big House, holding his bronze sword. If I had more time to scrutinize him, I would've detected the subtle, spiteful satisfaction that had been masked with a face of false concern.

"Luke, what is going on here?" Chiron rumbled.

Luke stood up straight and reported.

"A rumor spread during lunch today about Percy's quest and the Zeus-Poseidon feud. It's turning into the Trojan War down there. Ares, Aphrodite, Apollo for Poseidon against Athena for Zeus," he listed. I glanced sharply at Luke and then down, watching the fight growing more and more violent verbally. Camp fights have never been this bad of a situation.

"And the other cabins?"

"I told their head counselors to gather their cabin mates and to stay at their cabins," Luke replied. Chiron gave a terse nod.

I cut in with a warning tone, "Chiron, they're pulling out their swords."

"Jade, go back to the other cabins and tell them that I am taking care of this and that they will stay at their cabins until I have sent Luke," he instructed. "Luke, stay here. I will go down and break up the fight."

Luke and I nodded, but Chiron was already halfway down to the meadow. I looked on as spectator for a few more seconds before heading towards the cabins.

"See you," I called out to Luke, but he didn't respond. He was too fixated on the scene in front of him.

 _What could he be thinking about?_

Eight more days until Annabeth, Percy, and Grover come back.

* * *

x

* * *

Thoughts? Leave a review! Thank you so much for reading!


	4. TLT - It's Beginning (IV)

I do not own anything of Percy Jackson and the series, Rick Riordan does, bless him. I follow the books and the plot and I do reuse some dialogue, but I alter them and fit it into my story. Again, copyright is all Rick Riordan's, I repeat, I do not own _**anything**_ _._

* * *

x

* * *

My favorite time during camp was free time. I normally spent it doing absolutely nothing. If I was in the mood for it, I'd sleep, but if I wasn't, I'd pretend I was. Sometimes I did it because I could eavesdrop on nearby campers who'd chatter if they thought I was asleep, but I mostly did it because I simply wanted to have some peace of mind. My favorite spot in camp was next to the lake, underneath a large hickory tree.

I wasn't really into sleeping at the moment though. Too much on my mind.

"Jelly donut for your thoughts?" Luke plopped onto the ground beside me, glazed donut wrapped with napkins in hand. He had a granola bar in the other hand for himself. I took the donut, but didn't bite into it.

"My mom is getting remarried. Wedding date is early August."

Luke paused in his munching while I scrutinized the donut, immediately regretting my impulsive answer. Now that the topic had been abruptly brought up, I wasn't in the mood to eat. Parenting was a tricky subject to hold with Luke.

"Do you know the person?"

"No."

Luke frowned. "Doesn't that bother you?"

"Kind of," I admitted. "He also has two kids."

Luke faced forward to the lake and grunted, "So a blended family."

"I've never had step-family members before so I suppose this would be a new experience," I said lightly.

Luke looked at me strangely. "You have us."

"I'm not claimed," I reminded him and then quickly clamped my mouth shut. I seemed to be an expert at pushing Luke's anger buttons lately.

"Claimed or not, we're family," Luke said, jaw tight and his hand crinkled the granola wrapper.

I yawned. "Thanks, Luke, I appreciate the support."

Although the gratitude was sincere, my breezy attitude must have bothered Luke because he glared at me.

"So you're really not bothered?"

"I want my mom to be happy," I said carefully. "She's worked hard to support me despite all the demigod stuff."

I really respected any parent of a demigod. We were natural trouble magnets and whatever problems we faced, our mortal parents had to deal with it too. The emotional and financial costs for the monster incidents or godly power accidents would put a strain on anyone, especially if the person was a single parent.

"What I mean is that aren't you angry or even the tiniest bit bothered with this whole situation of having to patch up your family? Having to see your single mom, taking care of you by herself without a dad in the picture? The gods are hardly there for us. They don't even claim their children when the kids cross the borders into camp and ignore us in our offerings. They only call on us when it suits their needs," Luke ranted and I warily watched him because it's been awhile since I've last heard him vent this much frustration in one sitting.

"Careful what you say, Luke," I reminded him as we saw dark grey clouds forming overhead. Luke took several breaths through the nose and out the mouth before speaking again.

"I know," he said shortly before sighing. "It's just so damn frustrating to see Cabin Eleven stuffed with demigod children who have no idea who they are."

"I know, I see it too," I reminded him softly. I was part of that cabin too and on some days, it was hard to walk into that overcrowded structure. Many of the unclaimed campers were too young and all of them were so confused over their identity and hurt because living away from parents was not something any child should go through.

"Hey Jade."

I yawned and stretched my arms. "Huh."

"No matter what, do you think we could stay like this?"

I internally sighed. He was probably asking a deep, deep question in which I wasn't supposed to know the context to.

Buying some time, I asked, "Stay like what?"

"Like this," Luke responded softly and gestured between the serene lake and us and beyond the rest of Camp Half-Blood.

"If you want it too, then yeah," I said seriously and truthfully. It really depended on what Luke would choose, however then again, there was a prophecy. No matter how hard Luke may fight it, the fates would determine whatever future beheld us all. It was depressing to know that your life has been set in vague words of various meanings that could produce multiple outcomes and that it was all out of your control.

Luke sighed. "Thanks for listening," he said gratefully and got up, holding out a hand for me.

I shook my head. "No problem and I think I'll stay here a little longer."

Luke nodded and started walking away. I gulped. It was weird to end the conversation on such a tense note, so I tried lightening up the mood.

"Luke!" I hollered. "Send my regards to your beau!"

Luke furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Silena _Beau_ -regard," I clarified.

I scowled when Luke only shook his head and didn't turn back a second time. He should've at least shown appreciation for that pun.

 _Whatever,_ I thought and directed my attention to the donut.

* * *

"Is this really necessary?"

I examined the two shrouds hanging on the walls of the Big House. It was a tradition that if a demigod's life was at risk during a quest, a shroud for the camper would hang until their return.

Athena's cabin lived up to their mother's fame as the goddess of the arts and crafts. Annabeth's shroud was of the finest quality, made out of fine gray silk with detailed embroidered owls.

Clarisse and her siblings had marched in and hung up an old bed sheet with a crude border design of smiley faces with the eyes crossed out.

"Of course, that sea worm has no brothers or sisters, so he should be grateful we volunteered," Clarisse snorted. A sibling handed her a red spray paint can and she shook it, asking for opinions on what she should write on the low-quality shroud. A lot of the suggestions weren't very flattering since the children of Ares had thrown out majority of them. It took a while, but Clarisse settled on 'loser' and sprayed the word in big, capital letters in the middle.

Her entire cabin laughed in vindictive satisfaction while several others and I shook our heads in exasperation. The crowd soon dissipated and I went over to the weapons shed because I had borrowed a knife earlier and needed to return it. That and Chiron had asked me to look for Silena to tell her something so after asking for her whereabouts, it was convenient for me find out that she was there too. When I walked in, I saw that Silena was inside with Luke, and the latter had a new sword pulled out. It looked like he was showing the blade to her and the new custom scabbard it came with.

Silena placed a finger on her lips and tilted her head, long black hair sliding down a shoulder. A lot of the Aphrodite kids did that when they had a question they didn't know the answer to. It looked very much like what stereotypically ditzy person, any child of Aphrodite, would do so I couldn't help but frown at her. Silena wasn't _that_ into makeup and fashion to the point she'd be clueless in everything else, was she?

"But how is it supposed to fit?"

I drawled and came closer, "That's what she said."

Sheathing his metal sword, Luke whipped around looking horrifically scandalized and his face turned tomato red. I had said something inappropriate in front of the divine Silena Beauregard. He made a strangled sound in his throat.

His voice rang an octave high, " _Jade!_ "

I waited a beat before saying, "Sorry."

Luke's face remained unbelieving and embarrassed.

"Yeah, sorry again, I'm not apologizing for that joke," I amended and grinned when Silena giggled into her hand. Thank God. It's been hard finding people who could agree with my sense of humor in this camp. For the past few days, I've acted as the somewhat reluctant third wheel between Luke and Silena. 'Somewhat reluctant' because even though I felt sorry every time I saw Charlie's forlorn expression, I had a mischievous streak that enjoyed getting Luke flustered around the beautiful daughter of Aphrodite. Plus, he deserved the heat since he was basically using her if I was correct in thinking that he needed a spy in camp. Annabeth would definitely have disapproved.

I changed the subject to mercifully save Luke from further shame.

"Hey Silena, have you seen the new schedule? Chiron told me to make sure that all cabin counselors should have checked it by now. I know Luke has already, but I wanted to ask you about it."

Silena shook her head. "I haven't, I'll go that now," she said brightly and waved goodbye, heading towards the Big House, where Chiron's office was located.

Luke waited until the beautiful daughter of Aphrodite was out of earshot before grumbling.

"You could stop with those kinds of comments now." His face was still red.

"Been having bad dreams lately?" I asked airily, ignoring his plea. With the sudden change of topic, the blood quickly drained from Luke's cheeks and he turned somber.

"Nothing too unusual," he chuckled and I eyed him dubiously. I could tell that he didn't have a good sleep last night from the faint dark circles around his eyes and the lack of strength in his body, or it could just be my godly senses tingling. Either way, I knew he was lying.

"Right," I said sarcastically. "So what's keeping you up at night?"

"Just some bad memories," Luke muttered and scratched the back of his head, discomfort evident.

"Bad memories or bad influences?" I needled.

Luke froze and looked at me with a guarded expression. "What makes you think that there's bad influences?"

I shrugged without consideration of his inner panic. "You have this shroud of darkness wrapped around your head." My hands waved around my head as an attempt to convey what I meant.

"If I had to describe it, it's almost like something's oppressing you, almost to the extent of punishing even," I added. Luke stayed silent at my description so I waited until he was willing to open up.

"I don't know what you're seeing, but I can tell you it's nothing to worry about," he replied shortly, causing me to frown.

This had been me, trying to be careful and nonchalant in bringing up the topic of his betrayal so that the confession could come easily and naturally, but if Luke was going to be stubborn and lie that there was nothing going on, he can do that. My mood took a dive down under with his refusal to admit his wrongdoings even though I, a demigod suspected to be the daughter of Hypnos, could point out what his dreams were doing to him. Even more frustrating was that Luke had been the one who first guessed my godly parentage, so he _knew_ what I was capable of.

 _Fine then, be that way, you prick._

"Alright, whatever you say. Just don't drag other people with you if something's going to happen," I said frostily and left him in the weapons shed.

* * *

 _The Korean woman was walking circles around a mannequin that had a dress draped over it. A very sparkly, periwinkle, fluffy dress._

" _Hey mom."_

 _Yuri Park spun and clutched a fist over her heart._

" _Jade, don't do that, even in my dreams!"_

 _I smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I wanted to stop by before I had to leave camp." I glanced at the figurine._

" _Sparkles? Really?"_

" _Watch the sass, this was my dream dress when I was younger," my mom warned. "I booked your plane tickets, by the way, so Chiron will have them printed out for you."_

" _Thanks, can't wait to go home." This time, the statement carried no hint of sarcasm. I really did want to go home. I just wasn't thinking about the marriage too much._

" _Anything interesting happen at camp?" My mom went back to examining the poofy dress._

 _I shrugged. "Yeah, but too long to explain right now, my dream is already shifting." I felt the pull of my surroundings, the background blurring._

 _And before I could say another word, the dream was moving to a different location. I tried to delay it, but my mom's words were muffled so I shook my head, waving and mouthing goodbye. Being in control of your dream was a lot easier at the start of your sleep as you could steer yourself to where you wanted to go in the beginning, however the godly aspects of it were harder to manage the longer you slept._

 _Where to now, I mused._

" _AGAMEMNON!" Achilles stalked past me, rage written all over his face._

 _Okay, to the past it is._

 _I didn't bother to move from my spot since I wasn't really present, so I had no worries about being noticed. This wasn't my first time seeing the great hero, either._

" _You can't have her," Achilles roared._

 _I looked around and whistled. The dreams brought me to the golden Greek age of powerhouses. Agamemnon was sitting on a large chair surrounded by Achaeans wearing heavy armor and carrying weapons. Next to Agamemnon was Menelaus and further back were Patroclus and Ajax the Greater. Diomedes, Ajax the Lesser were right next to the crowd of powerful fighters. Even Odysseus and Nestor were present, sitting on chairs adjacent to Agamemnon's. Everyone was inside a large tent and I could hear clanking of metal and animals sounds outside the fabric, along with the occasional yells of men._

 _The leader of the Achaean forces clucked his tongue and waved his hand carelessly._

" _She's only one maiden, Achilles, I'm sure there are plenty more pretty faces behind Troy's walls."_

 _Ah. This is the Trojan War._

 _Achilles visibly shook with anger, and it distantly struck me that this person, even him, had undergone training with Chiron. A flippant part of me, not grasping the gravity of the atmosphere, was slightly disappointed that he didn't look like Brad Pitt, but Achilles was still handsome in a very intense way otherwise._

 _A scuffle at the entrance of the large tent turned everyone's heads. A soldier dragged in a girl, just a year or two older than me, to the middle of the area, next to Achilles. She was hiccupping, probably because she had been crying earlier._

 _Despite her dark tangled locks and wrinkled, scuffed clothes, she was pretty. What was her name?_

" _Briseis," Achilles murmured and stepped closer to her. I would've found the gesture touching if he wasn't almost ten years older. Well, at least he actually seemed to care for her. Agamemnon growled uncomfortably at the scene. The couples' display was making the surrounding soldiers pity them and the Achaean leader was losing public favor. It was obvious that everyone respected Achilles; they had all tilted their heads towards him and moved to give him room when he had entered earlier._

 _And then there was more talking that I couldn't decipher until I realized that they were speaking in rapid Ancient Greek. I frowned and strained my ears, trying to catch words that I could translate. I only understood snippets here and there in the beginning, but with a few more minutes, my mind gradually adjusted to the language. Achilles was clearly angry while Agamemnon shrank in his large chair, but stubbornly retorted to everything Achilles yelled at him. I suspected that if the two had been alone, the Achaean leader would have given in to Achilles in a heartbeat, but because he had an audience, he was trying to stand for himself._

 _At some point, Achilles stopped listening to the Achaean King and left the tent with Briseis. I felt the pull of the dream following them, so I drifted after them to another tent where the two shared some words before Achilles marched out again. I wandered aimlessly around the smaller tent, examining some hanging armor and weapons on display when a female voice caught my attention._

" _Who are you?"_

 _I whipped around, wide eyed, and saw the teenage girl gazing right at me._

 _Well this was weird._

" _You see?" I winced at my broken Ancient Greek._

 _Briseis giggled, "At first I couldn't, you appear like air."_

" _Don't belong here," I responded and regretted not spending more time learning Ancient Greek with Chiron. Listening was easier than speaking as I had only taken the mandatory five weeks of study and stopped after that._

" _I understand what you're trying to say. You're from another time, aren't you?" I raised my eyebrows in surprise and she smiled._

" _I thought so. My father is a priest of Apollo so I can be certain of these kinds of things, you know." I scratched my head awkwardly._

" _No one talk to me before," I confessed. Crap, this was too unnatural. I have never talked to anyone from the past in my dreams. I mean, what the heck, this was the past. I was a mere shadow when I dreamt to a different timeline._

 _Her eyes twinkled and she squealed excitedly, clapping her hands._

" _This is incredible! Are you a god? Where do you come from? Tell me about your lands! From what time do you belong?"_

 _I had to pause to process and translate her questions._

" _No, not god," I chuckled. "Demigod, belong in later time. Not from this land." Briseis' eyes brightened further and her mouth gaped like an open fish with wonder._

" _Incredible," she repeated breathily. The entrance flapped and the greatest fighter of his time, Achilles, returned._

" _Briseis? Is someone in here with you?"_

 _Briseis' eyes widened and I placed a finger to my lips._

 _Don't tell._

 _And then the pretty girl's eyes twinkled impishly, so I knew she wasn't going to listen. Briseis turned Achilles so that he could face me and muttered a prayer while covering his eyes with her hands._

" _Do you see her?"_

 _Achilles squinted at my direction and I could see the moment when his eyes registered me._

" _Well you aren't fairly as pretty as Briseis," he said bluntly. I had a limited arsenal of Ancient Greek insults, so I threw the recent one I had heard about a week ago._

" _Erre es korakas," I said snappily and glared at the girl. "What you do?"_

" _I gifted him with Apollo's blessing of sight," she declared proudly. "Achilles already has godly blood from his mother, however I gave him the full extent of sight for ethereal beings out of this existence such as yourself."_

 _Achilles smirked at my scowl and made a disapproving sound. "And from whom did you learn those coarse words?"_

" _Annabeth." Totally her fault._

 _Briseis jumped in. "Another demigod? And she is?"_

" _Athena's daught-no. Stop. Not supposed to talk." I slapped a hand over my eyes and Achilles and Briseis looked at me curiously. "Need to leave."_

 _But when I tried to shift the dream, just a little to shake my mind out of this timeline, I felt the rebound hit me. I groaned as I felt my head aching as a result for trying to force my way around the dream. Dreams happened for a reason. They haunted demigods because they wanted to tell us something, to warn us of the future, meaning I had unfinished business here with these two and couldn't leave until whatever's supposed to happen, happens._

" _Demigod, what are you here for? Are you here to deceive me? As a spy?" Achilles demanded._

 _I shook my head. "No, not spy. Just here." I waved my arms pathetically through objects since I wasn't corporeal to prove my point that I was here against my will._

 _Achilles grunted, but still eyed me suspiciously. "Pray for your life if you are lying, distant cousin, for I loath deceivers. There are always deceivers everywhere, so you can never trust everyone."_

 _I tilted my head to that because it was sound advice. And almost immediately after Achilles had finished speaking, the dream_ disconnected and _I felt myself_ leavi _ng_ the _go_ dly r _eal_ ms of sle _ep_ and r _etur_ ning to my own body.

My subconscious took over once I was back, so it wasn't until about two or three hours later that I woke up.

I yawned, ears popping from the air pressure change. Now _that_ had been an eventful dream. I've never practiced so much Ancient Greek before and I usually didn't have to in my dreams because most of the time, I would be a part of the dream instead of participating from the sidelines. If I had been looking through the perspective of Briseis or any other person in that dream and not myself as my own person, I would have understood everything more clearly.

I was still in the process of getting ready for a day outside when Luke stumbled into the cabin.

"Jade! Annabeth and Grover are back!"

Other cabin members instantly chattered at the news and then there was a huge bustle of activity of demigods getting dressed and washed up at a faster pace. Everyone wanted to greet the two campers who had come back from a hugely important quest. I tripped over my feet along the way because my shoelaces had been tied together, courtesy of the Stoll brothers.

I rubbed my eyes and grumpily watched the door of the Big House with Luke and many others.

"What are we waiting for?" I asked, irritated that Luke had practically pushed me out of the cabin, insisting that we be of the first to welcome back Annabeth and Grover.

"They're inside Chiron's office, telling him about what happened during their journey. They came to camp early this morning, but Percy wasn't with them," Luke explained patiently and smiled when Silena walked over.

"Do you think they completed their quest?" She asked, perfectly shaped eyebrows scrunched with worry. I pushed down the flare of jealousy at her perfect hair, perfect skin, and perfect makeup and shook myself out of my daily morning blues.

"If there's one of the many things that Annabeth hates, it's failure, so I'm sure they did well," Luke said in a matter-of-fact tone. "It's a miracle they came back alive in the first place."

Silena and I exchanged looks, agreeing with Luke's conclusion. It's been so long for demigods to return alive to Camp Half-Blood since Luke, so it was a big deal for everybody. If Chiron lifted the ban on quests, then more people would be allowed to go out on an adventure. Everyone held their breaths when the door to the Big House opened.

Annabeth and Grover stepped out, followed by Chiron. The two travelers looked bedraggled and exhausted, with worry and relief conflicting on their faces.

"I am proud to say that our heroes have returned safely and that Percy Jackson is currently at Mount Olympus, completing the quest he had been given," the centaur announced, prompting elated cheers from the entire crowd surrounding the Big House.

The camp's good mood only heightened when Percy finally came back, with a big feast prepared for the three of them. That night was probably one of the most memorable, fun evenings I've ever had at Camp Half-Blood. Everyone was so happy, so relieved that those of our own were able to complete a major quest and teenage laughter filled the dark sky.

I hung back towards the edges of the mass that flocked Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. Every time Annabeth caught my eye, I flashed a crooked smile that included teeth and two thumbs up, delighted that she came back safely.

The merry atmosphere stayed in camp for the remainder of the month and the Fourth of July passed with the best fireworks Camp Half-Blood has seen since the end of World War ll. Everyone was in jovial spirits, it was the highest point our kind has ever reached for the last decade, so we were determined to share the good experience.

* * *

"Luke," I said sharply. "What are you doing?"

Luke whirled around and pointed a strange-looking sword in my direction.

"Jade? You shouldn't be here."

The handsome son of Hermes flicked his eyes across the grassy plain around us, but I already knew that there was no one else in the forest. Everyone was supposed to be in their cabins, getting ready to leave if they weren't staying for the entire year and the only reason why I wasn't packing my bags like everyone else was because I had already done that at around four in the morning. I've been having fits of insomnia lately, too many dreams, too scattered and undecipherable, so I had figured that I might as well get it over with.

I came closer to Zeus' Fist where Luke had been poking around, searching for the entrance to the Labyrinth. A snapback was hiding my sleep-deprived eyes, but I hoped Luke wouldn't notice how sluggish I was moving. It wasn't a good situation. Luke was holding that sword made out steel and Celestial bronze and I didn't like how it could affect regular mortals.

"You shouldn't either," I stated slowly. "And what's with your weird sword?"

Luke smiled stiffly and put the blade back into its scabbard.

"It's nothing. Let's go back to the cabins before someone sees us," he denied and started walking away from the pile of rocks.

And I got uncharacteristically angry. I stomped after him.

"Luke, stop lying. That sword's made out of Celestial bronze and steel and that cave you were looking at earlier leads to the Labyrinth from the myths. Chiron won't be happy if he finds out either of those things."

The hard tone in my voice portrayed how _frustrated_ I was with Luke because I've been _trying._ For the past month I've brought up subtle hints as passively as possible, letting him know that I could help, that even though his grudge against the gods was reasonable, his source of revenge was horrible. He was going to sacrifice so much and abandon his most precious people all for the sake of getting _even._

I wasn't sure what I was expecting as a reaction, maybe some more lying or brush-offs, but I was definitely taken aback when he sneered at me.

"So you're going to tattle?" His eyes narrowed down at me and he had a hand on his sword's hilt. I wanted to scream at his stubbornness and refusal to _admit_.

"No, I'm not going to _tattle_ because I've been hoping that _you_ would be the one to tell Chiron yourself," I hissed and curled my own hands into fists. I would get nowhere if I was going to keep beating around the bush, so I decided to cut to the chase.

"Okay, you know what? I'll just say it," I fumed. "You've been avoiding Percy and Annabeth, you keep disappearing during free time, and you're having bad dreams."

Luke opened his mouth to protest, but I wasn't done.

"Luke, come _on,_ we both know who my dad probably is, so don't you dare tell me that I don't know anything about dreams. Whoever you're dreaming of isn't good and you're going to get into a whole crap ton of trouble if you keep listening to that person."

I paused to catch my breath and saw that Luke had very solemn expression. My heart dropped when the obstinate look in his eye didn't go away.

"Thanks for the advice, Jade, but no thanks. I know what I'm doing," he said coldly. He was going to keep walking so as a final act out of desperation, I grabbed his arm, putting us both to a stop.

"I know you're talking to a titan," I whispered softly, searching his eyes for something that would show that he still had doubts about his plan.

Luke froze under my hand and then in a second, it was me being held down by Luke.

"You shouldn't know that," he growled and I struggled to break his vice-like grip on my hands.

"That's besides the point, why are you talking to the _King of Titans_?" I retorted and winced when the bones of my fingers grinded against each other.

"Because he'll help us," he shot back and then shook me with unbridled self-control, making my teeth rattle.

"The gods never care about us and he's going to help us, don't you see it? It's always been like this, demigods are the ones hurting. We have to serve those pathetic immortals, do their bidding, do their services while they just hide behind thrones. I wanted to fix that and the titans will help me," Luke ranted. My jaw clenched when his hands wouldn't let go of the pressure on my wrists. I was about to kick him when he said the next crazy thing.

"Jade, you should come with me," he said suddenly and my arms went slack at his words.

"What?"

"I'm leaving camp this summer, you can join me," he repeated. "You know what it's like to be ignored better than anybody. Sure, you kind of know who your godly parent is, but has he ever really helped you? Did he ever help you find your way to Camp-Half Blood? Or with the monsters?"

I bit the inside of my cheek because no, Hypnos has never helped me directly and Luke's words were getting to me.

But.

Annabeth.

"Annabeth wouldn't want this," I said as evenly as I could.

The effect of her name was immediate because Luke paled and finally let go of me.

"I'm still leaving, but I'm leaving this with you."

Luke held out a silver necklace with a scythe charm hanging on it, but when I didn't make a move to take it, he put it in my hand.

"I was going to give it to Silena, it's probably better for you to have it instead," he said simply and I gave him a frosty look.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" I asked.

"No," he chuckled. "Just think of it as a way to contact me, in case you change your mind."

I glared at him. "Luke, I'm not going to change my mind about anything."

The son of Hermes shook his head, amused at my supposed naivety.

"We'll see. I hope we meet again, Jade."

His body began to take a form of shadows.

"By the way, you might want to find that son of Poseidon soon. I left him a present," he intoned before disappearing completely.

It took me a second to recover, but I cursed loudly and sprinted for the woods, hollering for Percy's name.

"PERCY!"

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Favorite, follow, review! Thanks so much for reading!


	5. One Summer Down

I do not own anything of Percy Jackson and the series, Rick Riordan does, bless him. I follow the books and the plot and I do reuse some dialogue, but I alter them and fit it into my story. Again, copyright is all Rick Riordan's, I repeat, I do not own _**anything**_ _._

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x

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"Come in."

I pushed the door and entered Chiron's office. The centaur was sitting in his wheelchair and some mist was fading behind him. He must have ended an Iris Message.

"Yes, Jade?" Chiron prompted.

I licked my dry lips before answering. "I, uh, wanted to tell you more about what Luke said and what he was doing before I found Percy near the river."

Chiron's face set into a more grave expression and he snapped his fingers as if to distort the Mist, but this time I felt something shift outside of his office as though to form a barrier around the room.

"Speak," he commanded.

"Well, Luke was near Zeus' Fist," I began slowly. "I think he found an entrance to the Labyrinth."

At that Chiron's body went slack with burden and he rubbed the lines on his forehead.

"He also gave me this," I said quietly and pulled out the jewelry Luke had given me, the silver necklace with the scythe charm on it. I placed it onto Chiron's outstretched hand.

"A scythe, the weapon of the King of Titans," Chiron muttered as he examined the silver charm dangling on the chain.

"He said he was going to give it to Silena, but that I could have it instead to contact him. I could feel some magic coming from the thing, but I still don't know what it can do," I confessed. Chiron sighed, his shoulders growing heavier with every word I said and continued to watch the scythe charm spin in the air.

"Is there anything else, child?" He asked softly.

I pursed my lips and nodded. "I've been having dreams. Some of them were about Luke talking to the Titan of Time, but I had another one this week where I met Achilles."

Chiron got caught off-guard at the sudden mention of his past student.

"He said that-"

Annabeth burst into the room, shouting, "Chiron! Percy's waking up!"

Chiron turned to me. "We'll finish this discussion later," he promised and motioned for me to follow him and Annabeth to the infirmary next door. I was relieved to see that the color of ash had disappeared from the sea boy's skin. He definitely hadn't looked so good when I had found him at the river with the halved dead pit scorpion next to him. Percy was stirring in his sleep while sipping on nectar although a little was drooling down the side of his mouth. Annabeth quickly grabbed a washcloth from a basin of cool water and dabbed away the excess nectar, moving from his mouth to his forehead. Annabeth probably would have killed, or threatened, me if I told Percy about how much she had worried over him the past few hours. The room held its breath when Percy's eyes began fluttering. He groaned and his green eyes blinked at the light exposure from the ceiling.

"Here we are again," he croaked in a raspy voice. I handed Annabeth a glass of cool water with another straw so she could feed it to him.

"You idiot," she said. Her voice sounded steady, but her eyes were rubbed red though I doubted that Percy noticed because he looked like he was still unfocused from this world due to the after effects of the venom. The day had been particularly difficult for her. Learning about Luke's betrayal and experiencing Percy's close encounter with death were the last things she wanted to hear after the close conclusion of a successful summer. I thought she was going to burst into tears when I had first told Chiron and her about what had happened with Luke.

"You were green and turning gray when Jade dragged you in. If it weren't for her or Chiron's healing..," Annabeth choked out.

"Now, now," Chiron placated her. "Percy's constitution deserves some of the credit."

I briefly wondered what 'constitution' meant in Chiron's sentence and aimlessly stared at a wall while Percy exchanged heated words with Chiron. Percy-boy was frustrated at how he couldn't chase after Luke even when the gods had declared the matter closed. Chiron was equally exasperated because the centaur _knew_ the prophecy, but he also knew the consequences of demigods attempting to interfere with their fates. I imagined that these kinds of recurring situations with demigods never failed to aggravate the centuries old teacher.

"Jade."

I returned to the conversation in front of me. "Huh?"

"Thank you," Percy said earnestly and he stared into my eyes, or at least tried. Percy's eyelids sagged downwards as though gravity was weighing them down. As Annabeth energized him with a little splash of water to his face, I pulled the snapback on my head further down so that my eyes would be more concealed. Too many people fell asleep at the full sight of my face so I've always had to minimize how much of my profile I exposed in public.

"No problem," I said casually and stuffed my fists into my jean pockets.

"Now Percy, I'm sorry about the physical strain it may cause you, but I called for an emergency meeting in the Rec Room. Since you're a head counselor of your cabin, your attendance is required," Chiron said apologetically, but Percy shook his head.

"It's fine, I can do it."

With Annabeth's help, he managed to wobble over to the Rec Room where all the head counselors had already gathered and were sitting on chairs around the ping-pong table. Voices of concern and questions arose at the sight of Percy leaning heavily on Annabeth, but Chiron gained control of the room by commanding for silence so that everyone could take a seat first. Katie Gardner was sitting next to the Stoll brothers for some reason with Clarisse at her other side. They most likely had to send the Connor and Travis when no one could find Luke or me to represent their cabin. Down the row sat Lee Fletcher, Silena, Castor, and Charlie. Annabeth, Percy, and I took the remaining seats at the opposite end with me taking the chair directly next to the Stoll brothers. Chiron went to the middle of the table and even though he was sitting in a wheelchair looking physically disabled, his authoritative demeanor told us otherwise.

"First, I will remind everyone here, _everyone_ , that what is spoken in this meeting will remain unspoken out of this room and will not be shared with other campers unless we have decided otherwise," Chiron stated firmly, casting a stern eye over all the demigods. I unconsciously felt my spine straighten at the order and noticed everyone reacting the same way. Although all demigods had ADHD to varying degrees, we all knew when Chiron was serious and called for business.

"I called an emergency meeting due to recent events. For the sake of time, I ask that you remain silent and listen, we will go through questions after," Chiron proposed and waved at Percy. Percy-boy obediently stood up, swaying on his feet, but managed to recount his events for how he had gotten poisoned. The head counselors' reactions ranged from extreme shock to anger, however there was more shock than anger. The few people who were angry about Luke's betrayal hid it well from their facial expressions, but their stiff postures and tight jaws sent a different message. Silena's face only grew paler and paler as Percy spoke. At the end of Percy's tale, Chiron had to hold up a hand to calm people down when they had exploded into questions.

"Jade, your turn," he motioned to me. I froze in my comfortable, laid back posture in the chair when the spotlight suddenly swung to me. I chose to remain sitting and cleared my throat.

"Right, er, I actually saw Luke after he left Percy in the woods and talked to him when he was at Zeus' Fist," I began and followed through my story, making sure that I made brief eye contacts with Chiron to check if I was allowed to reveal certain parts of the story. The centaur basically let me say everything, what Luke had told me, his contacts with the Kronos, the entrance to the Labyrinth, and how he was probably going to gather an army of some sort, demigods or monsters or both. When I finished, everyone was silent, juggling their own emotions and thoughts while I desperately wished for water since my throat was parched from speaking.

"We will open for questions," Chiron said and surprisingly, the room stayed hesitant as opposed to its first reaction.

Lee spoke up first with a caution evident in his tone. "Just so we can lay some facts down, Luke is gone for sure, right? Like, he turned his back on us for a titan."

Rage flashed across Annabeth's grey eyes for only a brief second as her head jerked into a nod. I eyed Silena when she nearly flinched at the statement.

Lee continued slowly, "And there's an entrance to the Labyrinth inside the borders of camp that Luke knows about, so anything can get in."

"Correct," Chiron affirmed. "Which is why we will set up a guard rotation duty from now on. As it is summer, most of you will be leaving so you do not have to concern yourself over it until next year when you come back. Argus and I will maintain security this summer. I only expect that everyone carry this responsibility with utmost professionalism when we resume camp activities next year. The entrance to the Labyrinth and the news about Luke's departure will be the only pieces of information that will be given to the rest of the campers."

"So, about Luke." Connor maintained his half-brother's name carefully as the mention of the former Hermes cabin leader seemed to have turned into a taboo in the room. "Does this mean our cabin needs a new counselor now?"

"Yes," Chiron acknowledged. Katie literally slumped in her chair, fearing the worst outcome.

"I vote for Jade," Travis piped up immediately to everyone's surprise.

"No," I said flatly.

"I second Travis," Connor advocated, ignoring my glare.

I turned to Chiron so that he would put some sense into them.

"It should be Connor and Travis, I'm not even claimed."

Chiron rubbed his eyes. "Connor, Travis, she is right."

"But Jade's got more years than us," they protested.

"She has yet to be claimed, and therefore cannot represent the Hermes cabin as she is not even a daughter of Hermes," Chiron stated. It made perfect sense and I had come to terms with it years ago, but there still was a little sting of embarrassment. Four years at camp and not claimed? It's like the ultimate cold shoulder of getting ignored by your godly parent. And worst part was that I was sure my godly parent knew that I thought of him, but he doesn't acknowledge it. Maybe he does, but I wouldn't know.

I actually wasn't too bitter about it. There have been moments where I couldn't help but feel that he was watching over me, and even though he's never shown himself, I've been comforted by other subtle signs.

"However, we still need her in this meeting, so please stay seated, Jade," Chiron finished and before he could continue to the next agenda, a dryad swept into the room, holding one of the camp's dinner plates in front of her.

"How is this stain supposed to get cleaned off the plate?" The wood nymph wailed. Everyone paused for a moment because we were in the middle of a confidential meeting and the unexpected intrusion caught us off-guard. Dryads normally didn't come to Chiron for any problems since they generally knew how to take care of their own businesses and only went to him if a camper did something bad to their trees.

"The Harpies wouldn't stop yammering about this stain and forced me to show you guys," she grouched and for some reason, handed it to me as though to have me see the damage for myself. I made a 'tsk' sound as I flipped it, examining the green scorch mark, because these plates were nearly indestructible, so it was baffling to know how something could have stained it.

"You should use Ajax," I suggested, breaking the awkwardness, and made a move to pass the plate to the Stoll brothers, thought better of it, and gave it to Annabeth instead. Without even looking at it, she handed it to Percy and frowned.

"...Ajax the Greater, like the demigod?" She asked.

"No, Ajax the soap, stronger than all of grease." There was a beat of silence and Percy sniggered weakly, his body still taxed from the effects of poison. The plate somehow was now in the hands of Charlie, who was deeply engrossed in the metalwork of the kitchen object. I looked around the table, noticing blank faces.

"You guys do know that Ajax is a dishwashing detergent, right?"

Katie narrowed her eyes. "Was that a pun?"

I leaned back, proud of myself. "Intended, yes, it was a pun."

As multiple people groaned, Chiron stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I remember Ajax. I had trained him alongside his cousin, Achilles. A very strong lad, but more importantly, he was very intelligent in anything related to combat, saved his cousin a number of times because of that."

"He was one a lot of soldiers respected," Annabeth added randomly, and her input reminded me about how she, as a daughter of Athena, approved of any warrior who used their mind in a fight.

"Committed suicide," I offered.

Annabeth slammed a hand on the ping pong table.

"Not helping," she growled. "Can we get to the second topic already?"

Chiron cleared his throat, "Of course, Ajax aside, Jade, I'd like you to recount your dream of what Achilles told you."

I did a double take. "Wait, you want me to explain now?"

Chiron nodded. I swallowed hard when I felt eyes on me again.

"Well I had a dream during the Trojan War, the Achaeans hadn't sent the Trojan Horse yet, but it was being built. Basically, Achilles said...that there's always a deceiver." My voice grew smaller as I said this.

"So...someone who lies?" Castor speculated.

Chiron stroked his beard. "No, if this was Achilles, a deceiver to him is not simply one who lies, but someone pulling a trick, taking another identity, such as when the Achaeans hid in the wooden horse to enter Troy. A spy, or even a traitor, perhaps, to enter our camp and well..." Chiron didn't finish the analogy. Everyone's faces at the table grew pale and worried at this interpretation.

"Uh, are we supposed to be Troy?" Lee guessed. No one answered him back, because no one liked the implication of repeating what happened to Troy back in Camp Half-Blood.

"Thank you, Jade, for sharing this dream with us," Chiron said and I nodded. "We must simply take this as a warning and also to stay calm."

Clarisse cut in, "Isn't the traitor Luke then?"

Chiron shook his head. "He could be, but he has already left with intentions made known to us. As this is a dream, we won't know of the true meaning until the time comes, but until then, I wish for everyone to trust each other. We cannot fight amongst ourselves or we will only be splitting camp apart."

The centaur looked around the ping-pong table before asking, "Are there any other questions?"

At our silence, he finished off saying, "And remember, all things stated here is not to be shared with the rest of the campers. I will be the one giving announcements to the rest of camp. If any camper asks for more details, send them directly to me." Chiron gave us a hard look before dismissing us.

"Vegas rule," Travis muttered as we rose from our chairs.

"Ever been to Vegas?" I asked in a low voice.

"We have," Percy murmured next to us. The Stoll brothers' eyes lightened and slung arms on either sides of the son of Poseidon's shoulders.

"You gotta tell us all about it!" Travis exclaimed and with Connor, he dragged Percy out of the meeting room. Annabeth trailed after them, scolding the brothers for rough housing when the son of Poseidon was still recovering. I moved to follow them out, but before I could take another step, a hand stopped me at the shoulder. I looked behind me and saw Chiron.

"Sir?"

"Take me back to my office, will you?"

I felt a little honored because Chiron usually didn't let everyone steer his wheelchair when he was in it. Once we were inside the office, Chiron took out the silver necklace with the scythe charm and held it out for me.

"I want you to hold onto it. We need to figure out what Luke is up to," he said.

"Me?" I asked in disbelief.

"Luke has always confided in you when he kept secrets from me and Annabeth. I believe he sees you similar to Thalia even though you are of different ages. That aside, I have complete trust in your abilities and your loyalty to this camp. I'm very grateful for all the summers you've stayed here, Jade," Chiron said warmly. I tightened my jaw in efforts to keep my teary eyes from spilling. It's been awhile for someone to praise me besides my mother and I've always had a hard time taking in compliments or praises.

"Thank you, sir. I won't let you down," I promised and gripped the necklace. "I'll Iris Message you to let you know if I find out anything."

Chiron patted my hand comfortingly. "I'm sure you will, but I know that you've been staying strong for Annabeth with all that's happened and I want to tell you that you're not alone. We all felt Luke's betrayal. Feeling hurt and saddened by his decision is not something to be ashamed or guilty of. It was his choice," he assured me with a crestfallen expression. I wondered how the centaur felt about the news since he had already known about the prophecy.

"You know I tried to tell him," I muttered. "But he was so angry at the gods."

Chiron made a deep sigh. "It was my own fault for not noticing his anger earlier. I could have prevented it."

I shook my head, trying to convey that all the blame shouldn't fall on Chiron's shoulders. He shouldn't have to carry the burdens of hundreds of his student demigods' mistakes.

"Finish packing up, Jade. There won't be much time left to gather your belongings."

I thanked Chiron and headed out, embracing the warm sun and feeling physically lighter in some ways and emotionally heavier in other parts.

* * *

I went to Cabin Eleven because I was worried that Connor and Travis were probably in the process of unleashing chaos as it was the last day of camp. I passed by Annabeth who was carrying her luggage down the hill where a family of four was waiting in front of a van.

"Trying the step-family?" I inquired.

Annabeth nodded. "Percy said I should give it another chance. I'll be in San Francisco for the year. What about you?"

I looked to the side where a camper was chasing Travis to the Big House. Something must have happened.

"I'm going home, the usual. My mom is getting married though and I'm going to have two step-siblings," I told her.

"Be safe and I hope it goes well,"Annabeth said with sincerity and I gave her a small smile.

"Thanks, you too."

We hugged and I waved from the hill until the van drove away. Before reaching the Hermes cabin, I stopped by Cabin Ten.

"Silena!"

The beautiful daughter of Aphrodite turned around and came closer when I beckoned her away from her cabin. I could hear the children of the love goddess inside frantically searching for any missing items like precious designer articles of clothing or makeup brands. They must take a long time packing up all of their stuff.

"What's up?" She greeted easily, but I could see a sort of wariness swim in her eyes at my call.

I made a wry grin. "Hey, could I talk to you for a second?"

She followed me further away from the circle of cabins and I made sure there wasn't anyone eavesdropping. To start the conversation, I commentated on her jewelry.

"Nice bracelet," I said nonchalantly. Silena self-consciously made a move to cover the silver scythe charm on her wrist with the friendship bracelets surrounding it.

"Did you get that from Luke?"

"Y-yeah, how'd you know?" She asked in a startled voice.

I dug into my pants pocket and showed her my own present from the son of Hermes. Her eyes widened at the similar charm. The two jewelry items looked like they belonged in a set and her face fell as though she had a depressing thought.

"I was going to take it off after hearing about him," she admitted, her face growing pink with embarrassment. "And now I guess it wasn't even that special of a present because, I-I, um, k-kind of thought that he might have liked me...Were you two ever..?"

I made a face. "No, I think he was actually interested in you, but we were friends. Are you going to keep the bracelet?"

She unlocked the silver chain off her wrist. "Do you want it instead?"

"I personally prefer gold over silver," I said dryly. "The reason I asked about it was because I think Luke did something to the bracelet."

Silena bit her lip. "He told me that we could talk to each other using this," she whispered. "I got really scared during the meeting because I was thinking that I was that traitor your dream had warned us about."

"Silena, you're an amazing person of great integrity, you'd never betray us like that," I said firmly. "Chiron is letting me find out what Luke is up to and I was wondering if you wanted to help? If not, I could take the charm from you if that's alright with you."

Silena furrowed her brow, gripping the charm between her fingers before releasing the pressure. I saw the indent of the chain and scythe charm on her palm as she handed me the bracelet.

"Take it. I'm not keeping something he was going to use to take advantage of me. A child of Aphrodite would never be tricked into having their feelings manipulated," she said finally with determination. A corner of my mouth quirked upwards and Silena mirrored my smile, but with more triumph on her expression. Someone help me. A beautiful girl with a sensible brain.

"Thanks, Jade, and let me know if you ever need help," she said as she went back to her cabin.

I waved back. "Thanks to you too, see you next year," I responded cheerfully. I dumped the matching bracelet and necklace back into my pocket and headed back to Cabin Eleven.

 _Ah, I guess I'll play the role of the traitor,_ I mused.

* * *

My mom wrung her hands anxiously.

"Jade, I know you just got off the plane, got a taxi, and came here to the studio by yourself and that you're exhausted from all the traveling and I shouldn't have to ask so much from y-"

"Mom, it's fine," I cut in and I dropped my travelling bags next to my mom's boxes full of costumes. The sudden shift of weight on my shoulder upset my balance and I shook my head. I had gotten a small headache from the long ride in the taxi.

 _Woah, vertigo._

I took a quick look around the filming studio for the upcoming film, _King of Sparta_ that everyone was excited for ever since the release of the movie poster that featured Tristan McLean's naked and chiseled torso. He was sort of a small name actor who had snagged the lead role for the movie so the press was excited. People were bustling, yelling, finding other people, getting equipment ready, talking to each other, running all over the huge area. It was the kind of disorder I was used to since I had been a theater person in the past. Not an actor, but a backstage manager and assistant director. Being behind curtains and cameras always gave me a sense of nostalgia and peace.

"What do you need?"

"They need a stunt double."

I didn't even blink and shrugged off my jacket, stuffing it into my backpack.

"Do I fit the physicality? What happened to the hired double?"

"Yes, you fit and you have to go through makeup and hair. The crew never hired one because they didn't think they'd need a double. It wasn't until today when they realized that the actress couldn't do the stunt. You'll get paid by the hour for training with an additional sum for the late notice," she explained and began to lead me to where a middle-aged man with a cap was reprimanding a crewman. When the worker scampered away, we approached the disgruntled man.

"Director Gordon, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Jade. She's the one I told you about," my mom said. I shook hands with him.

"Nice to meet you, sir, I'm a huge fan of your films. I really liked _Odysseus_ and how you focus on Greek myths for your plots," I said out of social courtesy. His movies were actually okay in my tastes.

"Nice to meet you too, Jade, just call me Gordon," he responded briskly. "Now, your mother tells me you're familiar with swords and stunts?"

"Yes sir, learned a lot about it at summer camp," I said easily. My mother gently squeezed my arm in approval of my honest reply. Sizing me up, he rubbed in hands together in anticipation.

"Let's see what you can do. Do you think you're up to the task?" The director gave me a challenging look. I wanted to laugh aloud, but I knew my mother wouldn't be happy with that kind of response so I held in the amusement.

"Yes, sir," I parroted and followed him to where the stunt master was waiting.

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Finally finished. Thanks for reading! Favorite, follow, review! Have a great day!


	6. Living

Hey guys! I hope you all are doing well and that you'll enjoy this chapter!

I do not own anything of Percy Jackson and the series, Rick Riordan does, bless him. I follow the books and the plot and I do reuse some dialogue, but I alter them and fit it into my story. Again, copyright is all Rick Riordan's, I repeat, I do not own **_anything_**.

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x

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"Aaaaaand cut! Alright, that was good, well done, everyone! Tristan, Matt, Lola, Jade, take fifteen and we'll start scene 84 after the trumpet sound cue."

A whole bunch of lighting and camera men darted around the location. Props and set designers went around retouching the set and scattered objects for the scene. Jumping down from the fake set that looked like an ancient Greek temple, I let out a huge yawn and stretched, wincing at the pull of tight muscles. The actor and his stuntman grinned, holding up thumbs, but I didn't have the energy to verbally acknowledge the announcement so I just bobbed my head. The actress I was doubling thumped my back in thanks for the work and went off to take her break at her trailer. My shoulders immediately dropped and my arms were aching. I was grateful that everything was working out smoothly, but Director Gordon was trying to capture almost all of the action scenes in long takes which meant that he wanted to use takes that lasted at least several minutes for the film without editing them. This also meant that everything in a scene had to go perfectly in one shot. If it didn't, then we'd have to do over. And over. And over.

A makeup artist immediately rushed onto the set, retouching my face and dabbing away makeup smudges from sweat in less than a minute before dashing off to the other body double. I felt a surge of relief when my mom magically appeared at my side with a small carton of strawberry milk. She inserted a straw and handed me the drink.

"How are you holding up?" She asked worriedly. I took the carton from her and sipped, holding out a hand in apology for the lack of response. I was breathing hard as I walked over where to a shaded area underneath a black pine tree. The climate of Turkey was not kind during the summer because it was hot, but luckily, the humidity level was low. I'd probably drown in my own sweat if it was humid at this temperature. Since it was coming close to fall, the darkness of evening settled in faster. The change in weather only made Director Gordon more anxious to finish all the action shots because he needed the bright sun. He had crammed a plan to shoot fifteen scenes in a schedule of fifteen days, which was ridiculous, but I didn't complain. The faster I get out of this part of the globe, the better.

I shook my head to help my mind get out of a daze and briefly marveled at my hair color. My natural hair pigment was dark brown and I usually had some lighter streaks from hair dye, but right now my head was covered with blonde locks. Very golden, yellow, blonde strands. Walking past reflective surfaces had been kind of trippy the past two weeks. I never had to dye my hair for a stunt job since I'd wear a wig, but because I had to fill in for all the actress's action shots, it'd be inconvenient to put on a wig every time. Besides, wigs were really annoying in the heat.

I groaned when a wave a nausea rocked inside my head. Being tired was seriously a weird feeling as a child of Hypnos.

It was like being in a limbo state between distinct awareness of a sixth sense and a disconnection from the physical world. Aware, because you're incredibly conscious of the Mist and the mortal and godly auras around you, but still disconnected because you wouldn't even react if someone pushed you out of your seat. That monster flickering in and out of my sight throughout the day wasn't helping matters either.

"You want the pills?" My mom asked cautiously. I grimaced. ADHD medications sucked. They messed up your appetite and stomach and gave you a hard time falling asleep. There were a lot of side effects that wasn't fun to deal with even if the stuff curbed your hyperactivity. Either way, it's a bad idea to have demigods to take medication. We didn't react well to it. Our ADHD/ADD wasn't meant to be tampered with; the headaches were always the worst.

I shook my head. "Nah, a can of Red Bull would be nice though."

I paused before adding, "Maybe two. Or three if the filming keeps dragging on like this."

Mom made a motion towards where the camper vans were stationed. "The cans are in the cooler, I'll get them for you."

I stood up. "No, I'll go with you."

I was about to follow my mom when the monster approached even closer. I didn't turn my head because I might alert the thing with my attention, but continued scrutinizing it without looking at it directly. It had some human shape, but the Mist flickered around the figure.

Not human.

"Mom. I have to go take care of something again," I said quietly. To her credit, mom didn't panic and only paled a little.

"Where is it?" She whispered.

"It's been following all day at a distance, but it got closer and it's not passive behavior," I murmured and began stripping off the fake armor costume since I couldn't fight if I was going to try and prevent the costume from being scuffed and torn up. I fumbled a little with some straps because my fingers were twitching in nervousness and anticipation. I wish I had a spare change of clothes because I wasn't feeling particularly battle ready in a loose black tank top and dark volleyball spandex.

"This is crazy, you've had to fight off monsters almost every day ever since we landed here. It wasn't this bad in California," my mom ranted. I closed my eyes. She wasn't really angry at me, I knew she was just worried about my safety.

I sighed. "I told you, we're in Turkey. Geographically, this country is close to Greece. Demigods shouldn't even be this close to the Mediterranean because monsters can sniff us out here way easier like a Thanksgiving dinner."

My mom glared at me for the analogy and bit her lip, obviously distressed. She could barely handle letting me go off on my own back at home and that would happen only about once every three or four months. I'd barely encounter more than five monsters in a year, however in the past five days since coming off the plane, I've already killed eight. Depending on what they were, a majority of the monsters would come out during the early morning or evening. A few would attack in broad daylight. Those cases were the worst because it forced me to find excuses, make distractions, and unintentionally irritate some mortal(s) along the way. I also had to make sure my mom wouldn't get blamed for anything. It was a huge hassle.

"I'll be okay, I only sense one," I assured her. It sucked giving out assurances because there was always that 'what if'. There's always a chance for these things to go wrong in so many ways, but I said the words for the sake of my mother's sanity and for my own.

"There's only one?" My mom stressed.

"One," I repeated when a little ping went off on my inner radar.

Scratch that. Two. I wasn't going to tell her that though.

"I don't think it'll be that bad this time," I continued. Three days ago, I had gotten beat up by an adult Laestrygonian. While my mom had freaked over the splotches of black, purple, and blue on my back and shoulders, I was just extremely thankful that there had only been one because those cannibal giants normally traveled in small groups. This one got separated because it followed a homeless person into an abandoned church.

The cannibal had been chewing on a femur when it tracked me down. I gulped at the recent memory.

My mom pulled out a small hand sanitizer bottle, a black hoodie, and a pair of men's long basketball shorts out the bag she carried everywhere. Saying a grateful thanks, I pulled on the jacket and shorts and made sure that the bottle was deep inside a pocket. It was the type you carried in a purse, but this one was filled with golden liquid instead. Nectar. I tightened my jaw when thinking about how prepared my mom was for this sort of thing. No parent should be used to seeing off their children to tackle Greek monsters. Her hand was shaking so I covered her hands with my own. I was only thirteen, but my mom already seemed small to me with her pixie haircut and petite body frame.

She looked me in the eye, pleading, "Be safe. Please, please be careful if it gets too much to handle."

"I will. I'll send you the Mist when I'm finished," I said and after a tight hug, I slowly walked over to where the monster was hiding. I waved behind my back because I knew my mom was watching me. I was getting close and the Mist was really heavy now, almost as if it was warding off mortals away from the area which was convenient at the moment. There wasn't anyone else around.

Well, you little stalker, where are you?

Crouching, I peeked around a corner of a stone wall and wrinkled my nose at the sight.

The monster was facing away from me, but to put simply, it looked like a bull, but with a boar for a head instead. I could see large dark scales lining down its back like a porcupine. The thing didn't appear harmful at all. It was just like a regular lazy cow, lying on a grassy field and enjoying the sun. The bull-thing let out a soft moan and yellow gas oozed out of its sinus pores and mouth. Instinctively, I held a hand to my mouth and watched in horror as plants shriveled up in contact with the disgustingly colored smog.

Didn't the Seven fight these when they went to Italy? Some poisonous cow monster thing. Cato-something, spelled with a 'c' or 'k', I don't remember.

The poisonous cow turned its head towards me and my vision blurred when I nearly saw its glowing yellow eyes. Dry heaving, I stumbled forward to my knees, panic overriding common sense when my lungs stopped functioning. Scrambling, I pulled out a sword from my dreams. Pure white adamantine metal, tempered in the River of Acheron, shining like a polished fang. I slashed blindly at the cow's head, desperately hoping that its death would end my own suffering.

It didn't.

I distantly heard the thump of a monster head hitting the grassy ground, but my own suffocation didn't cease. I choked for several more seconds when fuzzy darkness overtook my sight, but before I was completely out, I heard the clip-clop of hooves.

Pathetic, I thought as I let the black consume me.

* * *

I woke with up to the smell of something burning. Thankfully, it wasn't me, but my black hoodie. What was even more disconcerting was the huge sitting centaur that was watching it burn in the makeshift campfire nearby.

"You should not be here, demigod."

"What-," I gasped from where I lay. "Who're you?"

"I am Asbolus."

"Fantastic," I throatily coughed and blew a chunk of hair out of my eyes. "And what was that thing?"

"That, my dear, was a katoblep," the centaur answered. "Its gaze would have caused more harm on your health if your abilities hadn't protected you."

He watched me with inscrutable dark eyes as I tried sitting up, wincing when raw skin rubbed against the ground and fabric. Keeping a suspicious eye on the centaur, I pulled out the hand sanitizer bottle and squeezed some nectar out to my hands, rubbing the golden liquid on my legs where it stung and my elbows that had gotten scraped to the point of bleeding.

"Why're you burning my jacket? And whad'ya mean, my 'abilities'?"

"It was exposed to poison and would have been dangerous if you had kept it," the centaur said with a matter-of-fact tone. He reminded me a lot of Chiron, but a more disconnected, unfeeling Chiron. Just as old and experienced, but not a teacher who cared for students. He had black hair, too, while Chiron's hair was brown.

"One of your abilities, passed down from your father, dulls the visual senses of those around you. I presume that it must have been effective against the katoblep, therefore its usual deathly gaze weakened when it saw you. It is the only reason why you are able to recover without medicine or herbs right now."

I had already suspected myself of that phenomenon, but it was nice to have an old-looking centaur confirm it. I tried standing, but the not enough blood was flowing to my head so I flopped back to the ground. At this state, I wasn't even capable of stringing together complex sentences or thoughts. I stayed in that position, back against the dirt, and waved a hand aimlessly into the air at the centaur's direction.

"You're a Seer, uh, ya watch birds," I yammered. I was almost delirious. Must've been the after effects of the cow poison breath.

"The one who warned the Lapith guy, the King o'Thessaly, about inviting centaurs to his wedding party or something."

"And failed," Asbolus remarked despondently. "Many still died."

"Oh stop, you're just like Chiron. Taking the blame of events you can't even control," I muttered and laid a forearm over my eyes.

"How long."

"I'm sorry?"

"How long have I been out?"

"In mortal time, approximately three and a half hours."

I cursed in mixture of Greek and English profanities. I was so screwed when I get back on set. Mom was going to kill me and Director Gordon was going to lose his mind over missing a stunt double and now we're behind schedule. Man, everyone was going to give me dirty looks. No one liked a worker who dragged everything behind.

"Granddaughter of the Protogenoi."

I grunted. What the heck was a Protogenoi?

"Daughter of Hypnos."

Now that got my attention.

Under my forearm, I shot the centaur a sharp look.

"How do you know?" I demanded.

"Your lineage is different from the rest. I call you demigod only because of your half-mortal blood, but your aura is distinct from the offspring of the Olympians. Your father stands in the same generation as Ouranos, the father of the sky, you know. Therefore, your own great-grandfather is Khaos itself and your second cousin is the King of Titans," Asbolus sagely explained.

"Wait, stop," I groaned when my head throbbed. I felt something deep inside the ground shudder and the Mist crackled dangerously. This world's reaction to names was too sensitive sometimes. It needed to chill, honestly.

"Don't say those words, it makes my head hurt."

"I understand that this sort of information may seem shocking to you, but your father wished for you to know of this as y-"

I cut Asbolus off, "Hold on, Hypnos said that? Is he acknowledging me as his child?"

The centaur's placid expression remained unchanging.

"Hypnos has yet to claim any of his children as he has not received an honorable cabin in Camp Half-Blood, however-"

I let out a harsh laugh. Excuses.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it."

"Do you really?"

His question struck me to the core and I stayed silent because no, I didn't. I didn't understand anything that Hypnos was trying to do with me. I didn't how he felt towards me. I didn't know if he was proud of me, if he cared about me, if he at least thought of me, or if he even wanted me as his child. Why did the absence of a cabin stop him, or any other gods, from claiming their children?

I didn't know anything. Asbolus probably detected my hesitation.

"Your father-"

"What does he want? What are you even doing here? Did he send you? How did you find me?"

The questions fired one after another without filter and glancing at Asbolus, he seemed miffed in being interrupted for the third time.

"Sorry," I muttered. I tried standing for the second time, and was able to get on my feet although the world spun slowly around me. The poison was almost completely gone from my system so I was starting to think more clearly.

"I will answer what I can after I say this: your father wishes for you to not bother yourself with trivial thoughts and that you should continue to act accordingly. The prophecy will proceed as the Oracle of Delphi has dictated and he advises you to look into history past the Olympian gods," Asbolus imparted.

"As for your other questions, I believe I answered the first with what I informed you just now; I am here because yes, through omens, your father asked me to relay this to you; I found you by tracing the trails of the monsters and beasts you had killed over the past few days."

In hopes of eliminating the rest of the poison, I squeezed several drops of nectar on my tongue. It tasted like vanilla coffee. Bitter and sweet.

While checking my body for any other signs of blood or dirt stains, I asked, "Is that all?"

Asbolus' tail flicked in irritation. "I am not simply a messenger, demigod. Do not take this encounter for granted. Not many gods are as free-willed or powerful as your father and almost all communications with the gods have been severed," he stated sternly.

"Do not expect to have this type of occurrence to happen again. I am a respected Seer and-"

"Thank you."

Asbolus paused in slight shock when I flipped over to a ninety degree bow.

"Thank you," I repeated. "Thank you for coming here and telling me this. I really appreciate it."

"Naturally," the centaur sniffed. I was about to leave the when I paused for another question.

"Um, is it okay if I Iris Message you sometime? It won't be frequent or often, but just if I had a serious problem," I said.

"I do not carry messages," he stressed stonily and gave me a stink eye.

I huffed, "Not to talk to my dad, but if I wanted to ask you something, could I?"

"Absolutely not."

I shrugged. If the situation called for it, I'd still I.M. the centaur anyway since it would be his choice to accept it or not.

"Thanks," I said one last time and turned around, brainstorming what I could tell everybody on set when I get back. My body being sluggish, I tripped two times along the way.

* * *

"Paige and Justin, this is Jade."

I resisted the urge to yawn in their faces as I shook hands with my soon-to-be stepsister and stepbrother.

"Is that a scar?"

I glanced down at the short pale strip of skin on the thigh that contrasted against the rest of my tan leg.

"Uh, yeah."

"How'd you get it?"

"Clumsy with kitchen knives."

My soon-to-be-step-siblings winced.

"And what about that?" Paige asked, pointing at a distinct darkened blotchy patch of skin on my right forearm.

Lava from the molten towers.

"Got burned with hot water."

"Another accident?"

"You seem to get into a lot of accidents," commented Justin. He raised an eyebrow. My brain faintly recognized that expression on the cover of one of the popular teen magazines. I also distantly remembered my mom telling me that my future step-family were a little famous. While the two were preoccupied with other strange markings littered across my body, I examined their appearance to memorize the details.

Paige was the same age as me and Justin was three years older. Mom had said that the dad, Fritz Adalstan, was a low profile actor while his kids were in the film and modeling business. They were home schooled because they couldn't hold decent attendance at a regular school, so their father decided to bring them to Turkey on vacation to visit us. I had three more days of filming left. It would have been over in two days, but because I had disappeared yesterday, everything was delayed.

I shrugged. "I'm often at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Not a lie.

Paige flipped her wavy light blonde hair over a shoulder and exchanged glances with her older brother. I could tell they were doing the silent sibling communication thing. I had siblings in the past and even though we didn't get along all the time, we still had thoughts on similar wavelengths.

"Dad said that he'll be coming tomorrow," she told mom. Mom had already gotten well acquainted with the step-kids during the summer while I had been gone. It was just me that was behind the loop now.

She nodded. "Thanks, I'll let you three get to know each other. Here's some Turkish lira and go get something to eat for dinner. I'm afraid I won't be able to go with you guys because I have to talk to Director Gordon now."

I winced because even though I wasn't that narcissistic, that talk was probably going to be about me. Park Yuri sent me a look that said 'be nice and don't get in trouble' and then walked out of the trailer. I was mildly offended at her glare because it wasn't like I asked for trouble. Sometimes.

There was a moment of awkward silence after she left when Justin pointed out another blemish on my skin.

"What happened to your elbows?"

Mom, being the excessively worried person she was, had bandaged my elbows with white gauze to the point I couldn't properly bend my arms.

"I scraped them while filming today," I said. I should really be concerned at how easily I spouted lies. It's definitely not healthy for my moral compass.

Paige and Justin brightened when I mentioned 'filming'.

"Oh yeah, Yuri said that you're a stunt double for Lola Peters? That's really cool! Does that mean you swordfight and stuff?"

The three of us managed small talk that way as we stepped outside into the early evening sky and walked to the nearest restaurant looking place. I was more hesitant because I was nervous that I was going to see another monster. Mom shouldn't have left me with these two even if she assumed that more mortals around me was going to erase my presence. I was in danger in Turkey no matter what.

My step-siblings weren't horrible. If anything, Justin was a bit standoff-ish, which was understandable since I was a complete stranger who was entering their legal family registrar. Paige was friendly although too perky and bouncy for my tastes, but she was the one who kept the conversation going so I was thankful. I guess the dinner would've gone more smoothly if Justin hadn't kept staring suspiciously at the bruises and marks that spotted my arms and legs. He didn't completely buy into my stories of accidents and falls during my work as a stunt double.

"Do you know if Yuri's going to change your last name?"

Huh. Did not think of that.

"I don't, but I don't mind if she does," I answered with a quick smile. Some people might strongly associate their identity with their last name, but that wasn't me. Besides, the surname 'Adalstan' sounded okay.

Walking back to our trailer was kind of comfortable, but I let the two go in without me first.

"I forgot something on set, I'll come back," I explained.

"Can I come?" Paige asked excitedly.

"Sorry, but next time? It's really not that cool of a set, I can show you better ones tomorrow," I yammered and without giving them a chance to respond, I left.

I went back to the street where we had eaten dinner and took a turn into an alleyway. I found what I was looking for when I came near a metal fence.

Crouching down, I muttered, "And what's a little guy like you doing here?"

I had thought it was a huge threat judging by how much my head had ached earlier, but instead I saw something else. A yellow lizard with bright green eyes, no bigger than my middle finger blinked owlishly at me. It was perched on one of the metal rings on the fence near the ground and I let it scuttle onto my hand. I was going to let it go since I must have targeted the wrong creature when it suddenly bared its red fangs and hissed with a volume that did not belong to its tiny body.

Flinging the lizard away, I watched its spine ripple and grow. Its banana calloused skin shredded and stretched and scales expanded to a larger size. Its green eyes that had been barely bigger than my thumbnail was now the size of my hand. From horned head to its scaly tail, the body could easily wrap around mine like a constrictor. Bones and leather sprouted from its back with a sickening crunch of realigning spinal cords and the thin skin fanned out with menacing hooks at the ends.

And are those wings behind its back?

I gaped upwards.

"Woah. Not little. Not little at all," I concluded. Those fangs and claws looked like they could slice me like cheese.

I dove to the side when it flung a glob of something liquid at my face.

"Poison. Why is it poison today?" I complained as I heard the pavement sizzle behind me. The stench of burning materials was absolutely disgusting. Twin katana appeared in my hands as I got up from the ground. I was going to swipe, but a spiky tail came my way so I hit the ground a second time. I tried slashing at a leg, but the blade slid harmlessly off its scales, only denting it.

Okay, very hard scales. Come on Jade, get the vulnerable spots. Eyes. Maybe the underbelly.

I grunted when I batted away its tail with my left sword and darted onto its back. I was going to stab the monster in the eye, but I didn't plan for its neck to completely twist one hundred eighty degrees. The thing spat another spray of acid into my face. I barely managed to turn my head so that my sweater could take the brunt of contact, but I still felt flecks of poison stinging my skin.

Without losing momentum, I brought down both swords onto each of its eyes and pulled them out as I tumbled off of the dragon's back. The monster shrieked in pain, writhing in on the ground in a mixture of streaming blood and poison. It couldn't die since I hadn't dealt it a killing blow. I let it out of its misery by beheading it.

After the remains showed the first signs of disintegrating, I tore off the sweater and took out the leftover nectar in the small bottle. I was lucky that I had kept it with me. Using it like a salve, I rubbed the nectar to where I felt my skin was burning. I would have drank the rest, but I didn't want to risk overdosing. Nectar and ambrosia could only be taken into larger amounts if your injuries were life threatening.

While waiting for the stinging sensation to recede, I scanned the area of damage. The metal fence was spotted with holes where the metal had melted from acid and there were awkward patches on the cement where puddles of it lay. The ground was scattered with splotches of green and yellow concrete. My own sweater had wasted away, so I tossed it into a nearby black garbage bin. Mom wasn't going to happy that I'd torn up two jackets in one day.

It was dark by the time I walked out of the alley. Stars were twinkling in and out of existence and I shivered when a breeze swept past me. Street lamps lined the sidewalk and I took my time going back to the trailer. If I went back right away, then I'd have to face my soon-to-be-step-siblings, maybe my mom, and then give a mixture of lies and excuses, so I took my time.

"Ten," I said to no one in particular.

I breathed and watched my breath come out as fog in the chilly nighttime air.

I'm alive.

* * *

x

* * *

Thanks for reading, did you like it? I personally think this might be my favorite chapter so far because it's so disconnected with the books. Let me know what you think!


	7. Revealing

I do not own anything of Percy Jackson and the series, Rick Riordan does, bless him. I follow the books and the plot and I do reuse some dialogue, but I alter them and fit it into my story. Again, copyright is all Rick Riordan's, I repeat, I do not own _**anything**_ _._

* * *

x

* * *

"Say cheese in one, two, three!"

People around me chorused the name of the common dairy product once the photographer snapped a shot of the entire cast and their stunt doubles in front of the Selimiye Mosque. Lola Peters, a slim, petite blonde beauty whose smile could brighten your day, shook my hand as everyone else said their goodbyes.

"You were awesome the entire time, I can't believe that you're just a teenager and not a professional," she enthused. I grinned back, her enthusiasm contagious, but made sure to keep my head tilted down so that my snapback covered most of my eyes.

"Thank you, and um, I'm sorry again about when I disappeared from set," I said, embarrassment leaking into my voice, but Lola laughed at that, waving aside the apology without hesitation.

"It's fine, honestly, I think everyone actually appreciated the hours off since it was really hot that day," she assured me. "You really have a future in action showbiz, lady, Gordon won't stop raving over how quickly you learned the stunts."

I thanked her some more, and seeing how Paige kept fidgeting at the corner of my eye, I tried to briefly introduce my future step-sister to the friendly actress. Paige's eyes were sparkling in awe the entire time as the two of them talked and after a few minutes, I was able to excuse myself from the conversation. Justin Adalstan was hanging at the back of crowd and was looking at the mosque instead of engaging in the social behind him. I would have assumed that he was in the middle of a photoshoot with his perfectly windswept dark blond hair and well-fitted clothes except there were no lights, reflectors, props, or a photographer. I stepped up next to him and also observed the piece of beautiful architecture in front of us.

"You don't want to talk to anyone?" I inquired lightly.

"No," he said shortly.

"Introverted or extraverted?" I asked jokingly.

"Neither, I already talked to the people I wanted to. I'm just waiting now," came his clipped reply. I was going to asked another question to get the ball rolling, when I paused. He didn't seem very happy judging by his tense shoulders and how he wouldn't look my way.

I tried being careful. "Um, is everything alright?"

That's when he glanced down at me, the five-inch height difference bothered me when he did that, and his light brown eyes bore down my own darker eyes.

"I don't know, is everything alright for you?" He repeated my question with a sour note twisted into the words and I blinked in confusion at two things. One, he should have hit the ground snoozing, or something similar, when he made direct eye contact with me, and two, there something I wasn't seeing in this conversation.

 _Come to think of it, Paige doesn't drift into dreamland either when she looks directly at my face._

"Wait, am I missing something?" I asked slowly. I kept the eye contact, scanning his face for any sign of reaction. His boyish face maintained its cold expression and I was the first to look away, disturbed at how my godly abilities didn't affect him. I had to test this phenomenon with Paige later to confirm that they were immune.

"Are you?" He challenged without giving any details about his vague responses. I tilted my head and narrowed my eyes at his slightly hostile barbs.

Justin went on, inner feelings and suspicion leaking out. "You think I don't see how you sneak off almost every day without telling anyone? It's bad enough that your mom has to cover for you when you're gone, and don't get me wrong, she's cool, but what do you even do that makes your mom scared?"

I reeled at the accusations. "You think I'm a delinquent?" Disbelief colored my voice.

"No, just some wannabe teenage rebel," he shot back. "So what is it, alcohol? Drugs? Both? _Or something else_?"

I stood there without responding to any of his words due to extreme reluctance and tiredness, but I got a little nervous when he emphasized his last claim. It seemed like he was suspecting me of something other than simple delinquency. I only disappeared to kill monsters and I understood how my behavior can appear strange, given the random timings, but to explain all of that would mean revealing the Greek world to him and I couldn't do that. I felt mildly frustrated at having to keep a secret from my future step-brother. If I was allowed to tell him, I would have already done so in a heartbeat to clear up the misunderstanding, but I couldn't. Besides, he probably would have thought that I was crazy and wouldn't even be able to see Greek stuff because of the Mist.

"I know you're dyslexic and have ADD or ADHD, or something, but that doesn't mean you can just pay attention only when you want to or do whatever you want, especially now that your life can affect ours," Justin taunted and I twitched at that comment.

"Okay first off, don't joke about dyslexia, ADD, or ADHD; it's not funny or cool so drop that subject. Second, don't blame disorders for misbehaviors and third, I'm fully aware that you and your side of the family have a public image to maintain, I get it, I'm not exactly new to the world of celebrities," I gestured at Lola Peters and the other actors, actresses, and film workers I've gotten familiar with on set the past week to prove my point.

"And third, I don't drink, do drugs, or do anything else. So don't assume that either," I stated firmly and jerked a chin at my mom. "Don't drag my mom into this, too."

We would have argued more on the spot if Paige hadn't bounded over and hugged us together.

"So, how's the view?" She asked in a bright voice. Justin only grunted and I gave her a half-smile. I exponentially appreciated her timing and cheerful attitude at that moment because the weirdly tense atmosphere dropped at her entrance. Paige wanted us to talk with someone, but I had to decline. Ignoring the mistrustful look Justin sent me, I walked a short distance into an alley, away from the crowd, where a black-haired centaur stood.

"Asbolus," I greeted.

"Two juvenile Laestrygonian giants," he responded, ignoring the scowl I sent him when he ignored my hello.

"Yes, Jade, nice to see you too," I said hollowly, but followed him into a remote part of the city regardless of his cold demeanor. I was grateful for his help despite his rocky personality ever since I had met him several days ago. Asbolus has warned me of approaching or threatening monsters before I could sense or encounter them unprepared so I didn't complain about his attitude. Besides, I'd be a little crabby too if a god sent me to babysit a demigod.

The centaur led me into a corner where two old buildings met side by side. The place was devoid of other humans.

"Don't let your guard down because of their age," he imparted before clipping away in a relatively fast gait. I nodded at that and took a deep breath.

 _Okay. Laestrygonian giants. Beheading, just like last time with the adult. You can do this._

Even though Asbolus has been very helpful with the heads up on monsters, the help made it harder to fight them. If I encountered one on accident, I'd be forced to fight, but walking up to a brawl was like asking for the Fates to gamble on my life. I could just run away, ignore the monsters and pretend that I hadn't seen them.

Twin adamantine katana appeared in my hands and I gripped them hard, fingernails digging into the weathered, wrapped hilts.

"Let's go," I said to myself. I gingerly stepped into the building on the left, internal radar blaring at the two large presences in the next room. Slowly inching behind a wall, I glanced at the blue monsters dressed in leather sitting across from each other. They looked like they were sleeping and one was even snoring. They didn't have any weapons in sight.

I stepped even closer, but stopped when something crunched under my foot. The ground was covered in a very thin layer of ice. In fact, the entire room had been frosted over and my breaths came out in visible puffs. The two juveniles must have been in here for a bit of time in order to affect the room to this extent. I couldn't march in their comfortably because I'd slip while running around with ice on the floor, plus Laestrygonian giants were stronger in colder temperatures so I had to lure them out of there. Picking up a splintered piece of wood, I threw it at the closer giant's head and held my breath.

It didn't wake up.

I repeated the throw with a slightly bigger piece of wood, but the thing didn't even flinch.

"Wake up, Frosty," I grumbled and lobbed a piece of cement this time. The hard object hit the giant in the head with a solid thud and the blue monster finally stirred, grunting and blinking in search of its wakeup call. I kicked a nearby stone rubble and the monster's head turned at the sound. Its large nose sniffed for something, my blood I suspected, and got up without waking its companion. I stayed in a dark shadow behind a wall as forced down the panic when I noticed how it was almost eight feet tall. Physically, it was practically an adult.

Once it walked past the doorframe, I left my hiding spot and slashed at the muscles behind the blue giant's knees. Crippled, it howled as he fell forward and I immediately chopped off the head, effectively stopping its pained yell.

"Brother?"

Gritting my teeth, I darted back to where I hid and waited for the second one. The other blue giant, only an inch or two shorter than the first, lumbered towards the scattered remains of its relative.

"Brother!" It wailed as it pathetically tried to hold onto the crumbling body. Taking advantage of the moment, I raised my blades to strike, but the giant stiffened before I got close.

"I smell you, demigod," he snarled. The blue monster whipped around and slammed a fist at my chest with speed I hadn't expected. Luckily, I reflexively held out my swords to take the brunt of the hit, but I still flew backwards at the force.

There was a sharp _thump_ sound when my back crashed into a crumbling concrete wall on the other side of the room. I choked, air knocked out of my lungs, and scrambled for my swords that clattered in front of me.

 _Come on, come on, get up_ , I told myself frantically as I heard large footsteps coming closer. I nearly had one blade in hand when a blue foot kicked away the katana.

"Payback," the giant rumbled. I grunted when it kicked me into a heap of wood chips and broken bits of glass. Jagged edges bit into my skin as I rolled away from the next blow.

Levelling another foot to stomp, the Laestrygonian yelled, "Stop writhing like a rat, demigod, and become dinner!"

My chest soon ached, breath becoming ragged, as we continued the game of cat and mouse, the giant throwing fists while I dodged. I couldn't re-summon my swords from the Void if I had already pulled them out, so I could only hope to grab it before I ran out of energy. I tried formulating a plan when a voice distracted me from an incoming blow.

Paige's voice echoed into the abandoned building. "Jade?"

 _WHAM_

I hit the floor hard. The blue giant towered over me, a purple tongue running over oversized teeth.

The voice came closer, more panicked this time. "Jade?" At the corner of my eye, I saw a blonde head poking inside.

 _What was she doing here?_

"Get out," I wheezed and groaned when the monster placed a large, cold foot over my chest, putting increasingly heavy weight into it. Frost immediately covered my shirt and I felt the cold seep into my skin. A blue hand with yellow nails reached out for my neck when a small piece of concrete hit the giant's head.

"H-hey, get off of her you creep," Paige shouted. Fear clearly radiated from her voice and trembling fists, but she held her ground when the Laestrygonian redirected its attention away from me.

"Hey, ugly!" Another voice joined in and my eyes widened when I saw Justin standing behind another wall.

"Too ugly you can't pick on someone your own size?" Justin taunted boldly. When the giant took its foot off of me, I made eye contact with Paige desperately.

"Swords," I cried out hoarsely and pointed at the twin blades lying at the corner of the room near her. She threw them across the ground, metal clanging loudly, and I seized them before the monster next to me could react.

Ducking under the first fist, I sliced ribbons into its legs and rammed the butt of the katana in my right hand into its jugular when the giant toppled forward. Sidestepping, I chopped the head off as a final blow.

The blue head hit the ground at my feet and I kicked away. Forgetting momentarily that there were two onlookers, I watched the beheaded body dissolve into sand-like substance. All that was left of the head was a set of large teeth as if they had been pulled out from the Laestrygonian's jaw. Swiping a hand over the spoils of war, I willed for the monster remnants and my twin katana to be stored in the Void. After staying silent for several seconds, I finally faced my soon-to-be stepsiblings slowly.

"Er, thanks for the help," I said tiredly to their stricken faces.

* * *

After hearing out that they had only followed me because the movie crew was about to leave, I began my own story, albeit with a heavy heart. However, telling them about the Greek world was a lot easier than I had expected. In fact, the two had even anticipated it.

"I knew it, I knew it, I knew it," Paige crowed as she pointed a finger at Justin. "I told you it wasn't just a 'childhood' thing, ha, but everything is real! Remember that horse with wings and that weird looking guy with one eye?"

Justin moved away the offending finger and scowled, "Okay, I get it, but that doesn't explain how only we see it and not everyone else."

"There's this Greek magic called the Mist," I explained. "It warps reality so that regular humans aren't exactly seeing the Greek stuff, the Mist helps hide a lot of the Greek myths from the world, but only a few people can see through it, like you two."

"So we're special?" Paige asked excitedly.

I shrugged. "Sort of, don't let it get into your head though. You'll only get into danger if you try to involve yourself, like today with that blue monster."

"Then why did you fight it?" Justin looked at me pointedly.

I took a deep breath and winced when my ribcage throbbed. I hadn't fully recovered from the fight with Laestrygonian giant so my body was still bruised and my skin scuffed with shallow scratches. The 'demigod' part was always the hardest.

"Well, I have training, so I'm better prepared that you guys, and I'm only half human," I said carefully, gauging their reactions.

Paige gasped and I saw her putting the pieces together in her head. "No way...you're a demigod?"

Justin snorted disbelievingly, "Which god? Zeus? Hades? Poseidon? Ares, Apollo, Athena, Deme-"

"Okay," I interrupted him before he could carelessly spout anymore names. The sky outside of the car we were in rumbled with grey clouds gathering and my mom glanced questioningly in the rearview mirror as she drove.

"We're fine," I called out to her. She was worried that Justin and Paige's reactions might destroy the fragile family dynamics we had been forming the past week, which was understandable. I didn't want my life to threaten her relationship with Fritz because she deserved to happy with a guy after the crappy years she had with me.

"Don't say Greek names aloud," I said sternly at Justin's annoyed expression. "Names have power and attract unwanted attention even if they're the names of gods or monsters."

"So who's your dad?"

"Hypnos, I think," I responded quietly, ignoring the curious looks they gave me.

"And your mom knows everything, too," Justin stated as a confirmation and I nodded.

"No, you can't tell your dad," I added when Paige opened her mouth. They didn't seem particularly bothered with keeping the big information a secret from their dad.

And then I paused. "Wait, does your dad see through the Mist?"

The siblings shook their heads. "Right, definitely can't tell him then," I repeated in a wry voice.

"So, are we good?" I asked cautiously. Justin and Paige exchanged eye contact before chorusing agreement, Justin being more reluctant. My shoulders slumped, extremely relieved that the issue didn't blow up more that it could have.

"You guys are welcome to ask questions and I'll answer them as long as I'm allowed to," I said as I settled into my corner of the minivan. Paige jumped at the opportunity and Justin even put in his own questions several times. My mom relaxed at the driver's seat upon seeing how they accepted it and the rest of the drive to the airport went without a hitch.

We flew out of Turkey without encountering another monster and I couldn't have asked for a better departure.

* * *

"Finally home!"

Paige bounded up the steps to a house while Justin and I followed her at a slower pace, both of us dragging suitcases. Mom and I were settling into the Adalstan's home in Los Angeles, California. We had been here several times before the wedding, but we were officially moving in today.

Despite my worries, the wedding had gone well. It was pretty and held in private from the public, which I preferred. Mom had the happiest smile on her face when she had walked down the aisle, so I was content with the ceremony. Fritz was a cool guy and very perceptive to my moods, understanding when I wanted space or just kept to myself.

When Paige introduced me to my new room, I took a nosedive into the twin size bed and blacked out.

I needed a twenty-hour sleep, considering how there had been too much happening in the past several weeks.

* * *

" _P-please, father, I didn't mean to!"_

" _Quiet."_

" _Please! I'm sorry, father, I'm sorry."_

 _There was a thump of hands and knees hitting cold, marble floor. In the ominous setting, the kneeling man quivered. He could feel death seeping through the ground and into his skin. The cold and uneasiness threatened to overturn his stomach from all the ambrosia and nectar he had eaten, food of the gods that he had stolen. The man sobbed. If only he hadn't let his greed get the better of him. If only._

" _Hades, I leave him to you," his father rumbled. The man scrambled for the disappearing presence._

" _Wait, father! Please, save me," he howled. He kept up the cries until his sobbing muffled his words. For a moment, he was alone in the underground darkness._

" _Well, well," a faceless voice echoed. "You must have done something terrible to have your own father to drag you in."_

 _The man froze, his panicked eyes flickering into the dark, trying to find the source of the words._

" _W-who are you?"_

 _The cool voice ignored the question and tutted, "Tsk, tsk, stole food from the Olympian's own table-"_

" _I didn't mean to!" The frenzied man wailed and tripped on his fine robes when he shuffled over to where the voice came from._

" _-and revealed a godly secret to the mortals," the voice listed as it shifted in the darkness._

" _Please, please have mercy," the demigod sobbed._

" _And lastly," the voice paused for dramatic effect. "Served human flesh to the gods."_

 _Weeping reverberated into the darkness. Nothing can save him, the man knew._

" _Punishment for fatal mistakes such as yours require...special attention."_

 _The man choked back a sob, his hands outstretched and head bowed. "Please, please, please…"_

" _You had your fill of godly food, so let you also experience the pains of hunger. In the Fields of Punishment, you will be given eternal starvation and thirst in the Fields of Punishment. Never shall you eat or drink to satisfy your stomach and throat," the voice declared. The sobbing only grew louder and more distressed._

" _And for spilling the blood of your son," the voice continued in a more frigid tone. "Let your life serve as an example for the rest of your family."_

 _The demigod shrieked, "No, please, not my family-"_

" _Your family shall be cursed so that every one of your male descendants' lives will end in the hands of another family member, just how you have ended your own son's," the voice decreed._

" _No, no, no, please, oh my gods, no," the man cried and yellow claws from above clamped onto his arm._

" _As you order, Lord Hades," reptilian voices hissed. The Furies, in their natural form, carried the weeping demigod away._

 _Jade, that's enough._

My eyes flew open and I quickly got up into sitting position. I checked the clock at the side of my bed. It was five in the morning.

I sighed and laid back down, closing my eyes.

 _That's enough._

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Thanks for reading and I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! Have a great day!


	8. TSoM - Accomplice (I)

Hello, hello! Hope everyone is doing well!

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"Jade, those were Hyperborean giants."

"Hypo-what?"

"Hyperborean."

"Not Laestrygonians?"

"Yes, if the giant was blue and cold, then it was definitely a Hyperborean," Annabeth clarified.

 _But Asbolus had said that they were juvenile Laestrygonians.._

I raised a brow. "But aren't those things supposed to be nice and kind of dumb? Some of the ones I fought were blue, cold, and kind of hostile."

"They were aggressive?"

"Well, the first one I killed was definitely a Laestrygonian, but the other two were different, they were like ice giants, I beheaded the first one before it got a chance to react, but the second one I killed was pretty mean." I yawned. I could feel my body shutting down, giving in to the prospect of sleep. Annabeth snapped her fingers in front of my eyes in order to keep me awake for a few more minutes.

"Jade, stay awake, we're on guard duty," she said sharply. "Why was the second one aggressive and not the first?"

I blinked blearily and frowned, trying to pull up the memory.

"Uhh, I think it was because the first giant was the brother of the second, and the second giant saw that I had killed its brother," I mumbled. Annabeth's eyes twitched and she gripped the belt that held her knife tightly.

"That would be the reason the second Hyperborean was hostile, Jade, you killed its brother," she sighed, shifting her weight from one foot to the other to keep blood pumping in her stiff legs. We had been standing on guard duty in front of Zeus' Fist for the past hour, exchanging stories of our summer and catching up on each others' lives. After the fiasco with the two metal bulls that had rampaged into camp property, everyone was a lot more tense. With Thalia's tree poisoned and weakening camp borders, guard duties doubled now we had to protect the border and the entrance to the Labyrinth. I had entered camp after the whole metal bull mess so I was still catching up on little camp details. What I knew so far was that the new camp director sucked and didn't care about protecting Zeus' Fist or camp borders. Most of the senior campers were signing up for guard rotations on their spare time without the director's permission.

"Oh, and the giants were cannibalistic, is that normal for Hyperboreans?" I asked. Annabeth shook her head.

"No, but Laestrygonians are, you fought some weird giants," she remarked.

"Tell me about it," I murmured and pulled on my hood farther down my face.

"But I think you're in first place for most encountered monsters this year," Annabeth added. "You've got a count of twenty-one monsters and I'm behind you with fifteen."

"Yeah, yeah," I yawned again. I shook my head. I only needed to stay awake for the remaining thirty minutes of my shift before someone else takes my place so I should last until then instead of snoozing on Annabeth. Soon enough, time flew by and Michael Yew trotted over.

"You're good to go, Jade," the sprightly boy said and I nodded sleepily, but squinted my eyes at him when he came up next to me.

I sized him up. "Did you grow at all during the past year?"

Michael scowled, "2 centimeters."

I took his short response as a cue to drop the topic. I smiled apologetically at him and waved at Annabeth.

"See you guys later at the race," I said. Both of them nodded and when I turned my back, I heard them arguing about who was going to win. Annabeth wasn't working with Percy on the chariot race anymore as I had found out earlier during our guard duty due to an argument, which I thought was a little disappointing. When I had asked about their fight, Annabeth only clammed up and muttered something about _giants_ and _one-eyed freaks_.

As I walked out of the forest and into campgrounds, I noticed a huge number of birds perched in the trees near the race track. At first they looked like normal grey pigeons off of the streets of NYC, but I detected a thick haze of Mist covering the thousands of screeching birds. Upon a closer inspection, their beaks and talons gleamed like metal and their eyes glinted with malicious intent. Like predators, but in a flock, they were waiting. I saw how they eyed the campers that had begun to gather at the racing stadium. I tilted my head at them, trying to figure out what monster they were.

"Stymphalian birds," I decided. These bird monsters traveled in huge flocks the size of locust swarms during a drought and were famous for only leaving behind carcasses and bones after targeting prey. They were like winged piranhas or flesh-eating locusts. Normally, monsters of this number wouldn't be able to enter camp, but their presence proved how weak Thalia's poisoned tree had become.

After a moment of thinking, I walked into the Demeter's cabin and asked for their weed whacker.

"No, don't you guys have one with Celestial bronze blades?" I asked when they held out normal gardening weed clippers. Katie handed over the one I requested.

"What do you need this for?" She sounded mildly suspicious.

I gave her a prompt reply. "Need to clear up some stuff."

I went back to the edge of the glade and after standing in front of the trees for a while, I attracted a large number of the birds' attention. I winced when their screeching pierced my eardrums.

"So loud," I muttered. "I won't be able to get my afternoon nap with you things around."

Casting an eye over my shoulder and around me, I made sure that I was alone. It wouldn't do if someone eavesdropping was to fall victim to my godly ability.

I called out to the birds. "Hey, want to hear a song? I do pretty good lullabies."

I was only a verse into a slow song when the birds began dropping like stone from the branches, cooing like pigeons in their sleep. When about three-fourths of the entire drove had fallen, I started up the weed whacker.

"Weed whacking time," I told myself grimly.

About an hour later, I returned the gardening device to the Demeter cabin. Katie examined my disheveled appearance and the monster dust clinging to my skin and clothes, but asked no questions.

"I'm not even going to ask," she said, shaking her head as she took the weed whacker from me. I sneezed from the dust instead of answering and just bobbed my head in thanks for letting me borrow the tool.

* * *

"Hey, um, Jade?" It sounded like Percy, but I didn't move from my fetal sleeping position. I was a little determined to ignore him.

I had been having a relatively nice day. I had been able to sleep in, drop by the Big House for a bite to eat, and finish both of my guard duties. I had even killed a whole flock of Stymphalian birds in between my guard shifts without trouble. The chariot race had been relatively entertaining, although the Ares cabin won. A gloating Clarisse was one of the worst things to endure.

Now I was just waiting for dinner by snoozing under my favorite tree by the lake as my late afternoon nap. I wasn't going to let some son of Big Three trouble magnet ruin the rest of my day.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. It was dark and stars were twinkling above me.

 _Er, night, I mean._

"Oh crap, I slept through dinner," I fumed in displeasure and rubbed my eyes in irritation. I was tempted to stay annoyed with myself, but chose to drop it. I've overslept too many times in the past fourteen years that I've lived, so I've given up trying to stay angry.

"Hey, what time is it?"

"Uh, around midnight now," Percy answered. "You should get to your cabin or else the harpies might find you."

I eyed him and then pointedly looked at the six-pack soft drinks and beach blanket he was carrying. He was obviously going for a midnight picnic.

"You might want to keep that advice for yourself."

Percy grimaced, "I just wanted to see the ocean, I feel better at the beach."

"Ah, the son of the sea god feels better near the ocean, what a discovery," I drawled and Percy flushed pink at the sarcasm. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my sweater.

"So, in addition to an explanation of why you're so restless that you need to 'feel better at the beach', what are you going to bribe me with so I keep my mouth shut about you sneaking off?"

After a moment of contemplation, Percy blurted out tentatively, "I have Coke?"

"I prefer Sprite," I said, but nonetheless took the canned drink. Popping the top, I made a hand gesture for Percy to start talking since my mouth was busy drinking.

"Instead of explaining here, do you want to go to the beach with me? We might get caught by the harpies if we stay here too long," Percy whispered.

I wagged a finger at him. "Tch, are you trying to get me in trouble too?"

"You were already outside after curfew!" Percy hissed. "Are you coming or what?"

"Coming, coming," I sighed and trailed after him, already halfway finished with the can of Coke. I could nearly feel the sugar and caffeine working their way into my brain. Sitting down on Percy's blanket, I crumpled my first can and reached for another one without permission.

"Thanks," I said.

"You're welcome," he muttered. "You're going to get cavities."

"And you better start talking," I reminded him as my fingers fumbled with the can opener.

"You missed the bonfire today, but basically we pressured Tantalus into giving us a quest to get the Golden Fleece," Percy began.

I choked on the drink. "The new camp director is _Tantalus_?"

Percy frowned. "Yeah, you didn't know?"

"No, I only came back yesterday evening."

I scratched my head. Well that explained the dream a while ago. I should be better about putting two and two together; it wasn't like I didn't know anything about this world, but simply that it was hard to believe that everything would actually follow a plot that a guy wrote in another dimension.

"Oh, well he's back from the Underworld as the new camp director since Chiron got fired, but he still can't eat or drink," Percy laughed. "Anyway, Annabeth and I had the plan figured out, the Fleece could cure the tree and we knew it was in the Sea of Monsters, and I had gotten sailing coordinates from the Grey Sisters when I was holding their eye hostage."

"Long story," he added when I gave him a weird look.

"I feel there's a 'but' to this story," I noted.

"Tantalus gave the quest to Clarisse," Percy grumbled. "Because she won the stupid chariot race and he hates me."

"And you have a problem with that because...," I trailed off.

"I can't help but feel that I'm the one who's supposed to go, you know?" Percy looked at me with pleading eyes. I raised an eyebrow at him. Quest-hopping was _not_ cool.

"No, I don't know. How are you even going to get started on jumping on Clarisse's quest? You don't have permission for monetary support from the camp store, you have no means of transport, and you probably don't even know what the Oracle said for this quest."

Percy winced at my blunt observations.

"About that…," Percy started and rubbed the back of his head as though he had absolutely no idea how he was going to address the holes in his plan.

And then somebody said, "I might be able to help with that."

I wasn't the only one who choked on my drink this time.

Carbonated liquid sprayed out in front of us. Percy and I scrambled to our feet while wiping our mouths clean at the sudden appearance of a stranger. Out of nowhere, a guy in a marathon getup was standing right next to Percy. He carried a bag full of items that buzzed with Greek magic. The jogger invited himself onto the blanket and politely asked for a can of Coca-Cola. At the lack of response from our shocked bodies, the stranger helped himself unabashedly and answered a phone call.

"You have snakes on your phone," Percy said faintly.

The jogger paused during his phone conversation. "What? Oh, they don't bite. Say hello, George and Martha."

 _Hello, George and Martha,_ a raspy male voice hissed inside my head.

I cracked a grin at that, I liked George.

 _Don't be sarcastic,_ said a female voice.

"It's alright," I placated Martha. Before either snake could say another word, the jogger slipped his phone back into his pocket.

"Peace and quiet. Now, where were we?"

"I'm gonna go keep watch," I announced and dusted the sand off my pants. Percy cast me a frightened expression as I stepped away. I didn't feel the least bit remorseful abandoning him in the presence of a god.

"Oh, here." The jogger handed me his phone.

"So you don't have be alone," he explained with a wink. I blinked at the wriggling snakes on the antenna.

"Thank you," I managed to say before walking off to where the sand met the edge of camp grounds.

 _Hey kid, you wanna talk to Demeter? She's waiting on line two,_ George rasped.

 _George! That is very unprofessional of you,_ Martha chastised.

"Yeah, I don't think that's wise," I agreed, but I grinned at the question. "So what's it like to work for a god?"

 _Lord Hermes is very thoughtful, he is a rather lenient boss_ , Martha praised.

 _He doesn't give us enough rats,_ George complained. _And I'm hungry, do you have any rats, kid?_

"Sorry, got none." I pulled my jacket pockets inside out to prove my point. I whirled around when something behind me tapped my shoulder.

"Thanks for keeping Martha and George company, though Percy had a harder time guessing who I was without it," the jogger said brightly as he plucked the phone from my hand.

"Uh, yeah, you're welcome," I maintained a neutral voice.

He clicked through his phone's contents. "Tsk, Demeter is going to wilt all the flowers in delivery again, remember Jade, always be sure to stay in good relations with your contacts."

I didn't question how he knew my name, but the random piece of advice set off alarms in my head. "Okay?"

Hermes looked pointedly at my right jean pocket. The silver necklace and bracelet sitting inside suddenly seemed to grow hot and heavy. I clenched my jaw in nervousness.

"I'll do that, thank you," I said. It sounded too much like a promise. Hermes nodded solemnly before jogging away. He disappeared in less than thirty seconds into a shimmer and I found myself staring at Percy's dark figure at the beach. A big cruise ship with white and gold lights appeared from the horizon. Luke.

 _Maybe I could.._

I shook my head. It wasn't my place to interfere, yet. I trudged through the sand back to where Percy stood holding a bottle and thermos and surrounded by three yellow duffel bags. I picked one up, feeling the texture.

"Nice, it's waterproof," I commented and set it back down. "So, what happened?"

Percy stared at me, his mind whirling at the sudden turn of events. "I-I, Hermes gave me a quest, I only have five minutes to decide whether to go or not."

"Look, Annabeth and Tyson, they can help you." I pointed at two incoming people and we saw a blonde girl and a huge boy running our way.

"Annabeth would want to go, I do too, but Tyson...I'd rather have you instead of Tyson," he finished in a small voice.

"Tyson is your brother. I don't even want to go on this quest. And again, I'm not claimed so I'm not even qualified to go," I reasoned while lifting three fingers for each point.

"I keep forgetting that you're not claimed," he admitted sheepishly. I lifted and lowered a shoulder.

"It's fine," I told him. I'd been here for so long people overlooked that detail all the time. Annabeth and Tyson were within earshot now.

"Jade? What are you doing here?" She asked, confusion written all over her face.

"I wanted to steal Percy's drinks," I cut in before Percy could respond. I swiped another can from the ground and shook it vigorously.

"You guys should hurry and go, I can hear the harpies coming," I advised. The bird creatures were appearing in the distance, flapping wings that barely lifted their flabby bodies off the ground. We heard them before seeing them. They've never really had a chance to eat a camper because most demigods outrun them, but once you were caught by a flock, you were in trouble. Percy hurriedly explained his encounter with Hermes to Annabeth and Tyson, but the patrol harpies were getting closer. These guys weren't going to get caught by the harpies, but Annabeth and Percy were now arguing instead figuring out how to leave.

"Uh, could you guys leave now?"

"No," Annabeth shot back hotly. "Tyson is a Cyclops and so is Polyphemus! They're both S-i-k… C-y-k…"

"C-y-c-l-o-p-s," I corrected. Annabeth stamped her foot in frustration. She didn't appreciate my help.

I sighed. "Take Tyson, besides, it's unlucky to travel in a number that's not three, and I'm not going with you."

"Fine," Annabeth grounded out unhappily and set her eyes on the ship far away at sea. Annabeth and Percy exchanged worried looks.

"How are we going to get on that boat?"

"I'll hold off the harpies while you guys figure it out," I muttered and turned around, a Coke can still in hand and sand crunching under my feet.

Percy did a double-take at me as he faced the ocean.

"Is Jade going to be okay?" I heard him whisper loudly to Annabeth.

"She'll be fine," Annabeth snapped. "Just focus on talking to your dad."

I was now out of the sound dunes and about 50 meters away from the harpies. I could see their talons and wrinkled faces at this distance.

"Bad children out of cabins! Snack time for lucky harpies!" one harpy jeered.

"Yeah, yeah, do you guys like Coke?" I taunted. Shaking the can one last time for good measure, I popped the tab and aimed the opening at the closest harpy. Foam shot out and doused the bird creature.

"My eyes!" She screeched and scraped at her eyes. I flicked the carbonated liquid at three more harpies before I ran out of soda. I took a quick glance behind me and saw three glistening horses with riders speeding off towards the cruise ship. Assured that I had nothing to defend, I ran off back to the cabins, enraged harpies chasing me by scent now that their eyes were blinded.

Scrabbling for the door of Cabin Eleven, I furiously shook the old doorknob until it came loose and forced myself in, slamming the door shut in front of the herd of harpies. Talons scraped against the worn door and I heard more shrieks of fury and batting of withered wings before they finally backed off in defeat. I let out a rattled breath of relief, leaning against the door. I was going to have to fix the doorknob later. I was about to step to my bunk when I realized that the racket had woken up several campers.

"Jade? What are you doing?" Connor yawned.

"What's going on?" Another murmured, rubbing her eyes. More voices spoke up, each waking up to their bunking companion's voices.

But before the entire cabin could stir awake, I commanded, " _Sleep._ "

Heads hit pillows immediately and some even snored. Quietly stepping over some campers in sleeping bags, I changed out of my jeans and pulled on baggy sweats before tunneling myself in blankets. Emptying my jean pocket, I hissed when I felt the silver necklace burn against my skin. I quickly stuffed the bracelet and necklace back into the pants and tossed the pair of jeans into the corner of my bunk.

I would worry about the necklace later.

* * *

"Jane."

"Yes, sir," I piped and stifled a yawn. It was breakfast time and I had planned to sleep in, but Travis had dragged me out, saying that Tantalus had called for me.

"The harpies told me you were out at night, and an accomplice of three campers' disappearances," the temporary camp director remarked. Tantalus reached for an apple in the fruit basket in front of him, but all the bananas, pears, and apples rolled of his reach.

"I think 'accomplice' stretches it too much," I interrupted. I stopped talking when the wine god sent me a glare.

"Then why were you out at night?"

"I was taking a nap outside and overslept," I replied easily.

"Where did Percy Jackson, Annabeth, and the Cyclops go?" He interrogated.

I raised a brow and smiled. "They went on a boat."

Tantalus leaned forward, teeth bared. "Excuse me?"

"You're excused," I said. "They went on a cruise ship, I don't know anymore than that."

Tantalus shook a bare metal plate in my face. "Tell me where they went or you'll be punished."

"I'm guessing they went on a quest to get the Golden Fleece."

He scoffed, "Who gave them the right to-"

I chimed, "Actually, a go-"

"Janice, you're excused." Dionysus stood up, wiping his hands clean with napkins. Wind spirits swept his plate and cup off the table swiftly.

"That's enough questioning, Tantalus," he said briskly and left the conversation. Tantalus narrowed his cynical eyes at me, annoyed at the god's intervention. I guessed that Dionysus knew what Hermes was up to and knew better than to meddle in other gods' affairs.

"You are lucky to be let off without a punishment," he sniffed. I didn't reply, but just looked at the old man's face with hooded eyes.

Tantalus shifted uncomfortably when I held my gaze a tad too long. "What is it, girl?"

I shrugged. "Nothing, I just had a dream about you, it wasn't very pleasant."

He sneered, "Oh? And what exactly did it show you about me?"

"Well, it started off with Zeus taking his son down to the Underworld, Hades even came in and gave judgement himself," I began. Dark red colored Tantalus' face and his fingers started to tremble.

"And then the Kindly Ones swooped in and-"

"Out of my sight, now," he barked. I walked away in good spirits even though I felt a nasty glare trailing me and the Ares cabin openly called me out when I passed their table.

"Where'd Percy go?" Clarisse growled.

"Didn't you hear what I told Tantalus? They went for the quest," I said, not stopping.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Clarisse shouted. I ignored her, but a hand roughly spun me around. This time, her siblings were next to her and ganging up around me.

She fisted the collar of my shirt. "How's he getting to the island?"

At this point, I was getting crabby and irritated at all of the confrontation. I wanted to sleep. In response, I yanked her own shirt down so that her face was level to mine.

"You look like you could use some sleep, Clarisse, you seem like you didn't much sleep last night," I drawled quietly. "Did your dad send you a dream?"

Clarisse's scowl faltered and her eyes shifted nervously when my eyes bore into hers. Her grip on my shirt loosened and I let go of hers.

"Good luck on your quest, Clarisse, I think you'll do fine," I said dryly. I went straight back to Cabin Eleven , flopping onto my bunk. Everyone was out by now, getting started on camp activities. I didn't have a guard shift until later in the afternoon today, so I had time to sleep. I pulled out the necklace from my pocket and ran my thumb over the scythe charm. It was cool now, unlike last night. I still hadn't figured out how it worked. I had wondered if it needed skin contact in order to receive messages, but I was wary about draping it around my neck. After a second of contemplation, I decided to put it on. Travis walked into the cabin right when I clicked the clasp shut.

"Hey, I thought you liked gold," he inquired while he rummaged through his bunk, flipping over blankets and pillows.

"I do," I answered. "Your elbow guards are under your bunk."

"Thanks!" He pulled them on, adjusting the straps. "Then why are you wearing that?"

"No big reason." I yawned and wrapped myself with a blanket. "I'm sleeping in, wake me for guard duty."

I fell asleep before I even heard Travis' reply.

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Thank you for reading and for all your wonderful reviews so far! I really appreciate it :) Have a nice day!


	9. TSoM - Accomplice (II)

I. AM. A-LIVE. Thanks for putting up with my slow updates.

Let me know if you find any grammar or detail-related errors. Hope you guys enjoy.

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 _King of Titans._

The silver scythe charm twirled in front of me.

 _Prophecy._

If I squinted, I could see the charm glowing in the early sunlight.

 _Lord of Time._

Something about the necklace shifted, but I was expecting more to happen. Biting the inside of my cheek, I twirled the silver chain around my fingers as I brainstormed. I needed to figure out how to work this thing. Luke had left such cryptic words when he had left me with this necklace.

 _Just think of it as a way to contact me, Luke said._

"In case you change your mind," I mimicked his voice. "Oh, hear me, the rebellious demigod who leaves camp to betray everyone and become a cool villain who says mysterious words as goodbyes."

I sighed and put down the necklace, leaving it lumped together in my fist. The weather today was really nice: it wasn't uncomfortably humid, the sun didn't burn, there was a soft breeze, and I could hear campers at their extracurriculars. Clarisse had left several days ago on her confederate battleship manned with dead people, courtesy of her father. The gift had caused quite a stir in camp when the ship first magically appeared the morning after Clarisse received her prophecy. To her credit, she managed to look confident when she left, yelling promises of success.

Tantalus was annoying as ever. Everyone hated him now, for sure. He would keep organizing different games and events, ancient Greek Olympic style: javelin throws, discus, wrestling, foot races, and worst of all, pankration. Pankration was a martial arts mix of boxing and wrestling, and it wasn't always pretty to watch. If we were in a professional setting, in a professional match between professional fighters, pankration would be entertaining, fun even. However, we were in a camp full of hyperactive teenagers with godly blood and pankration was a terrible way to deal with our ADD and ADHD. Though Tantalus would claim that the sporting events were for our benefit, it was all just for his own entertainment. We were like little game pieces to him. The sporting events were a waste of time and it interfered with our guard duties. We had to drive away a small band of gryphons that had flown into camp borders during lunch two days ago.

I adjusted my hat so that it fully covered my eyes, nestling comfortably against the trunk of my favorite tree that overlooked the lake. I gripped the necklace and tried one more attempt in working the dumb charm. I had no idea what I was doing; I was simply wishing for it to work through sheer mental power.

 _Luke,_ I silently called out, not fully expecting anything to happen.

There was a split second where I suddenly felt my body glitch through the Mist before settling back to reality.

 _ **Jade, you took so long to call**_ _,_ a voice entered my head. _**I've been waiting.**_

I stiffened and shifted around from where I sat. No one was around, but me. The nearest camper was at the beach volleyball pit, nearly a hundred meters away.

Quiet chuckling filled my head, _**No, Jade, this is all in your head**_ _._

I exhaled, agitation and mistrust churning in my gut. The silver charm was growing warm in my hand.

 _Luke,_ I acknowledged, allowing mistrust to bleed into the mental transmission. I was wary of what Luke could do with this mental connection, if he could take advantage of me while communicating. Would he be able to read my mind? Feel my emotions? See what I see? Know what I'm doing? Was all of this one-sided, or would I be able to take advantage of him too?

 _ **I can't read your mind, if that's what you're thinking.**_

That meant he could only know what I directly relay to him, which was way better than reading my mind.

 _I wasn't._

He changed the subject, _**Anyway, what took you so long? I missed talking to you.**_

My mouth twisted down. _I don't make a habit of keeping touch with traitors, how's your cruise going? Did your visitors interrupt your vacation?_

Luke's ire slammed into my head and I grimaced at the impact, it was enough to nearly cause a headache. The mental link was closer than I assumed if I could sense his emotions so clearly. Just how much power is in this necklace? Did Silena's bracelet have the same purpose or different properties?

 _ **How did you know Percy, Annabeth, and their cyclops friend got on my ship?**_

I pulled out Silena's bracelet from my other pocket and twirled it around a finger.

 _I saw them off_ , I cheerfully told him and didn't elaborate by switching the topic. _Oh, and how's it going with Silena? Are you two an item?_

His annoyance increased and I even picked up some frustration through the link.

 _ **What does she have to do with anything?**_

 _Oh, didn't you give her a bracelet?_

Ignoring his heightened agitation, I continued, _"You didn't actually think I wouldn't notice the bracelet? It had the exact same silver charm as the necklace you gave me._

I didn't even try to block my amusement.

Luke was quiet for a moment before carefully asking, _**What did you do with it?**_

 _I took it from her, she didn't want it,_ I said gleefully. I was now regressing to my habits of poking fun at Luke. He could try and be as evil as he wants, but I would never stop making fun of him.

 _ **She didn't want it**_ _,_ he repeated in a monotone. I bet it hurt his pride a bit, maybe his feelings too, to know that all that wooing, time, and attention for Silena didn't work.

 _Yeah, so how are you going to spy on us now?_

When Luke didn't answer, I let out a sigh, controlling my nerves. I couldn't mess this up what I was about to say next.

 _Well, I'll just let you know that Tantalus came back from the dead and he's our new camp director. When Thalia's tree got poisoned, the gods suspected Chiron and fired him, someone who's been teaching demigods children for thousands of years on how to survive when the parents are the ones who leave us._

I intentionally let out a wave of anger at the thought of Chiron having to take the blame of Luke's deed. Luke may feel my anger, but he wouldn't know my thoughts. Hopefully, he'd misinterpret my anger for towards the gods and not him.

 _ **The gods are never right, Jade, now you know**_ , he said confidently. _**How about you keep me up to date about camp news, I won't ask for anything else.**_

Yeah, right, I thought to myself. Luke had such a way with words, to make certain actions seem harmless. I could definitely see how Silena could have followed along with Luke's manipulation. Now that I've led Luke into the assumption of me holding a bit of dissatisfaction towards the gods, I had to make it seem that I wasn't completely willing to listen to him. I couldn't suddenly switch my loyalties without making him suspicious; this plan had to go slowly and painstakingly carefully for it to fully work.

 _Don't think I'll let you in on camp secrets, Luke, I'm not dumb, I know you want a spy in camp,_ I retorted.

Luke laughed, _**Of course you're not, I'm just letting you know that I'll always have an ear ready for you. You're always welcome to talk to me. As you just figured out, you only need to think of my name while holding onto the necklace. Anyway, I've got to go now, a ship as big as this doesn't run by itself, you know.**_

 _Hey-_

And the connection was cut off.

I blinked and looked down at the two pieces of jewelry in my hands. Staring at the point where the horizon of the lake touched the sky, I leaned against the tree.

"Jade?"

Stuffing the necklace and bracelet back into my pocket, I craned my neck upwards.

"'Sup," I greeted the Stoll brothers.

"Lunch time, let's go," they chorused. Letting them help me up to my feet, I cracked a grin when the brother began relating an incident that happened earlier today. Apparently a pegasus nearly took out a camper's eye after she had commented the winged horse's weight.

"I think it was Guido," Connor added.

I got confused. "There's a camper named Guido?"

"No, the pegasus' name is Guido," Connor corrected me. Oh, right, that explained some of the story.

"In Judy's defense, Guido had been putting on some weight, though," Travis commented.

"Who's Judy?" I mumbled.

"Light brown hair, shoulder length, freckles everywhere, green eyes, unclaimed," Connor described.

"Just came nearly a month ago," Travis added. I let the details roll in my head until an image of a frowning, stocky-build girl of around thirteen years came to mind. Ah.

As we jumped a thin strip of water to the other side where the mess hall was located, I asked, "How's she settling in camp?"

Travis scratched his head. "I'm not so sure, I think she had a rough time wherever she used to live, so she's still getting used to it."

There was a moment of silence between the three of us when suddenly Connor, grabbed our shoulders and forced us to stoop down with him.

"You know," he began in a low voice. "I don't think she's all that happy about being a demigod."

Travis and I exchanged glances. Unhappy campers weren't new to anyone. We had all gone through a stage where we experience a mix of disbelief, confusion, maybe some anger, maybe even betrayal and sadness during the revelation of our blood and births. Not all of us had perfect childhoods. Growing up with one blood parent while having to keep seeing other seemingly perfect families on a daily basis in the regular world wasn't very fun. Plus, almost none of us were past nineteen years of age since Luke had been one of the oldest campers around before he had left. Demigod identity issues, puberty, and teenage hormones wasn't a pretty time for us.

"Is it bad?" Travis spoke up first.

Connor jerked his head into a nod. "Yeah, she skips out on camp activities a lot and even refuses to talk about anything related to the gods or Greek stories as if they're not real."

If she didn't come to some of the camp activities, that would explain why I hadn't recognized the name in the beginning. I sleep through a number of cabin schedules so I miss out on a lot sometimes in camp life. We let another second silence draw out until someone join our huddle.

"What're you guys up to?"

Wordlessly, Travis and I shoved mistrusting Malcom's face out of ours.

"Betting on what today's lunch menu is," I said to the son of Athena's bewildered expression.

"I heard that Tantalus finally got fed up with the harpies that he's ordering them for barbeque today," Travis hitched on my white lie without pausing.

Connor shook his head. "Nah, I heard that the kitchen got their hands on some fruit from the Underworld."

"It's grilled cheese, buffet style," Malcom informed us with a touch of annoyance. It might be because my hand and Travis' were still on his face or maybe it was because of our immature antics. He shoved our hands off of him.

"Thank you, Malcom," Connor said brightly. Without waiting for his response, Connor slung an arm over his shoulder and dragged the camper alongside with us for our walk to the hall.

"You know, how is it that your cabin knows everything that goes around camp?" Travis asked in the voice of a news reporter.

Malcom answered almost scathingly, "Unlike you two, we actually make a point to read the announcements Chiron posts daily on the Big House."

Connor and I gasped dramatically.

"My goodness, I would have never guessed, looking at the announcements? Daily?" I questioned in astonishment.

"Your cabin is truly a model for the rest of us to follow," Connor exclaimed with a pompous tone.

"You can let go of me," Malcom muttered.

The Stoll brothers simultaneously grinned and at that moment I knew both of them were going through the guy's pockets. Malcom's uneasiness suddenly increased tenfold upon seeing the mischievous smirks on the children of thieves' faces.

"Get your hands out of my-"

Immediately, the sons of Hermes bolted, cackling with a wallet and several golden drachma in their fingers.

" _STOLLS-_ "

Malcom sprinted after them, shouting a mixture of Greek and English slurs. I was more surprised that he even allowed Connor and Travis to stand next to him that long.

* * *

"If you want to skip stones, the rocks on the other side of the lake are better."

The girl in front of me flinched.

"How long have you been there?" She asked warily. The water reflected light off her guarded green eyes. Even her shoulders were tense.

"Since you started to try skipping those rocks." I yawned, ears popping from air pressure.

Judy followed suit, yawning widely before she shook her head.

"Have you ever skipped rocks before? You're not very good," I pointed out. The rocks on this side of the lake weren't as smooth, round, or flat as the far side, but it should at least muster two or three skips. She couldn't even get past one.

Judy's ears turned pink as she kicked a pebble into the water.

"My dad taught me, but I never got the hang of it," she muttered in a low voice. She looked awkward in her growth spurt, still getting used to her lengthened arms and legs, but alright as a kid. Judy wasn't a bad kid, I hoped.

I got up from my napping spot, dusting off the dirt. "I'm Jade, by the way."

"Judy," was her clipped reply.

"Where're you from?"

"Nebraska."

"Cool, did you like it there?"

Instantly, her face lit up with some fondness and nostalgia.

"Yeah, I really do," she said earnestly.

"I bet the scenery even beats camps'," I said lightly.

"It does, oh man, once you see the mountains and forests, you'll never want to leave," Judy gushed. "It's got one of the most beautiful national parks in the country."

We kept talking like that. I'd dig up whatever I could that made her happy and kept her interested, and she'd answer and even ask questions of her own. The more and more we talked, the more I was sure that Judy was simply insecure about her godly parent. We were trying to best each other on skipping rocks when I began asking about her misfit tendencies.

"So what's this I hear about you skipping camp activities?"

Predictably, Judy's small smile faltered as she looked away. She was never giving me direct eye contact in the first place, but had been having enough courtesy to at least look my way during our conversation.

"It's...hard," she managed to answer after a being quiet for second. "I miss home, and my dad, and friends."

"How come you came to camp?"

"A monster attack," she replied bitterly. "It was just some little plant demon spirit thing, but it nearly got my dad killed. When one of those camp guides came and offered to take me here, I followed him because I didn't want to put my dad in danger like that again."

"I see." I gave her a moment of privacy by pretending to be distracted by my loose shoelaces when she sniffled, tears leaking at the corner of her eyes.

"I think it's brave of you to make a decision like that," I told her. Judy's head drooped in embarrassment, but I could tell she was comforted by the words.

"I think you should join camp activities more often, it'll ease some stress and you can learn how to fight, so that if you go back home, you can protect your dad," I said encouragingly.

"You mean, _when_ I go back home," she cut in, but she wasn't being rude. In fact, she was smiling and seemed determined to start a new camp life.

I returned her smile. "Atta girl."

* * *

" _Draco Aionius!_ "

"Get water!"

"Hey, _you_ , _GET OUT OF THE WAY!"_

I woke up from my nap to the sound of chaos.

"Wha-"

Feet pounded outside of cabin eleven, all heading to the same direction. I could hear campers shouting, some screaming, and sounds of weapons clanging, and was that a dragon's roar?

"Jade!" Connor burst into the cabin, rushing over to my bunk, and climbed the ladder.

"Get up, get up!" he pleaded frantically.

"It's the afternoon," I groaned as he pulled away my blankets.

"We need you to sing to it," Connor snapped. "Jade, _get up_."

"What's _it_?" I snapped back, irritated.

"A _draco aionius_ ," he hissed in return, dragging me down the ladder. Running a hand over my face, I trailed after Connor like a rag doll as he took me down to the arts and crafts cabin near the Big House. He was practically giving me a piggyback ride by the time we got down there. I was in that state where I could be shoved into the Ares cabin their blasting boomboxes and speakers and I'd still sleep.

"Jade, come on," Connor bemoaned. "Wake up!"

I yawned, Connor copying me. "Can't."

"At least sing!"

Blinking heavy eyes, I recognized a metallic snake-like body with legs breathing fire that made everything explode upon lighting it up. It shot a ball of fire at a girl who yelped, but ducked in time.

"Oh shi-"

Connor yelped as he dove to the side, taking me down with him. Heat seared my skin and dirt rained on us, but otherwise, we were unharmed.

"Anytime would be good," the son of Hermes pointed out, alarm ringing in his voice. He pulled me up, taking me to a spot within hearing distance of the dragon. It shrieked in our direction. Contrary to common sense, my godly abilities worked best when I was most sleepy and tired. The drowsier I felt, the better the effect. On the flipside, I could lose control.

" _Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream-_ "

Somewhere in the back of my head, I heard Connor yelling for everyone to cover their ears. I was now entering a haze. There was just me, the Void, and the Mist. This might be the best lullaby I had sung since the Stymphalian bird incident.

" _Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream-"_

White noise entered my ear drums, my own voice fading into the background. My eyes were closed, but I could still see and feel the Void. Everything tangible faded into the background. Singing was so relaxing. It was easier to sing and forget, to fall asleep and worry about life concerns until another time.

Waste away time and sleep. Life could wait.

 _Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream-_

 _Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream-_

I understand now. I understand the song.

 _Gently down the stream,_

 _Gently down the stream,_

 _Gently down the stream-_

 _Life is but a dream,_

 _Life is but a dream,_

 _Life is but a dream-_

Jade.

 _Gently down the stream,_

 _Life is but a dream-_

Jade.

 _Row, row, row, your boat, gently down the-_

"Jade!"

Someone tackled me to the ground, and instantly, my singing stopped.

And suddenly the world spun around me as I returned to the physical plane. The senses flooded my brain; the stench of things burning, an uncontrolled fire roaring, the brilliance of blue sky hurting my eyes, and Connor hovered over me, panicked blue eyes searching my own unfocused brown ones.

"It's over, the dragon's dead," he said breathlessly. "You can stop singing."

My bleary gaze slid over to the arts and crafts cabin, or rather, what's left of it. The roof and two walls were gone. There was nothing recognizable inside. All black and smoking and still on fire, crackling.

"Th's good," I murmured.

"You did a good job," Connor spoke softly.

"Connor, guess what?" I yawned. He yawned with me.

"What?" He sounded so exhausted.

"I understand," I said. "I understand the song."

"What? Understand what?" Connor repeated, this time perplexed.

"The song," I giggled gleefully. I understood the song. It may have taken a life and a rebirth, but I now understood the song.

"Hey, wait, Jade-"

I went back to sleep.

 _Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream-_

River Styx.

 _Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream-_

Fields of Asphodel.

I understand.

* * *

x

* * *

Thanks so much for reading! Leave reviews for thoughts, comments, or whatever you thought was interesting!


	10. TSoM - Camp Returns To Some Normal

I do not own anything of Percy Jackson and the series, Rick Riordan does, bless him. I follow the books and the plot and I do reuse some dialogue, but I alter them and fit it into my story. Again, copyright is all Rick Riordan's, I repeat, I do not own _**anything**_ _._

* * *

x

* * *

 _Another chess piece into play. Another chance to control the prophecy. Another child of the Big Three._

.

.

.

 _Jade, wake up._

 _ **You think your friends are so clever.**_

 _Jade._

 _ **Tell me where they are, Jade, and maybe I'll spare them.**_

"No," I mumbled. Somewhere in my mind, an unpleasant snarl not of my own ripped through my head. Luke's anger was palpable and raging against my thoughts. I could feel a build-up of pressure coming like a headache.

 _ **Tell me where they are, I'm not playing games.**_

 _Have you considered that you don't really need the fleece?_

 _ **Jade, I swear to the gods, if you don't tell me where they are-**_

Connor's voice broke through Luke's mental link, "Jade, wake up."

My eyes flew open before I abruptly doubled over, breathing erratically, which caused Connor to freak out.

 _ **I don't have much time and I'm losing my patience, you-**_

I yanked a silver chain hanging around my neck out of my shirt and chucked it down, the tiny metal chains clacking against the polished wooden floor.

"Woah, Jade, are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Here, drink a bit of this." The other son of Hermes shoved a glass of nectar into my hands. I sipped a little before someone took the cup out of my hands before I could consume too much. Maintaining a conscious control of evening my intake of air, I closed my eyes and focused on Connor's panicked voice that was anchoring me to reality.

"What is this?"

Cracking open an eye, I saw Travis holding up the silver necklace with the scythe charm dangling on it, sparkling in the natural sunlight. I held out a hand as a request to have it returned, which Travis thankfully obliged; normally, he would've pocketed it before listening to what I said. He must have sensed that I was in no mood to joke around right now.

In a gravelly voice, I asked, "Where am I?"

"You're in the infirmary," Connor said softly. "Thanks to you, that dragon caused little injuries."

"Ah, right, the _draco aionius_." I took a quick look around and indeed, I was sitting upright on one of the infirmary beds, but I wasn't the only one. There was a number of other campers lying down next to me in their own beds and they looked to be knocked out cold. In the corner of my eye, I saw Travis and Connor exchanging worried glances.

I probed a question. "What's up?"

"Um, are you feeling okay?" Travis carefully hedged.

I coughed to clear my throat. "Feeling better, why?"

Connor scratched his head. "You were saying some pretty weird stuff before you knocked out."

Taking my black snapback from Travis' hand, I combed back my hair before putting it on. It was such a dumb idea to put that necklace on last night. I normally stashed the bracelet in one of my socks in my bunk while keeping the necklace in a random pocket when I slept. The necklace usually hung around my neck during the day, but I always took it off before going to sleep. I must have forgotten to do so before I knocked out after the _draco aionius_ incident, but I didn't expect Luke's voice to turn into a personal morning alarm.

"I'm fine, it happens sometimes," I responded as I searched for my shoes. A pair of sneakers were hiding under the bed and I pulled them on. Standing up and stretching, my neck made popping sounds as I rolled it around.

"So, how long have I been sleeping?"

The Stoll brothers exchanged another set of worried glances.

"Uh, two days," Connor said hesitantly.

Oh, it's been awhile since I had slept that long undisturbed.

Travis rubbed the back of his neck, adding, "You, um, also need to wake up some campers, a couple of them didn't listen to Connor's warning in time before you started singing."

Oh.

"I'll, um, wake them now," I said in a low tone, rubbing the back of my neck. "And thanks for waiting on me."

"No problem, Jade, I'll get Will first, so wait until I come back with him," Connor said. I bobbed my head and sat back down on the infirmary bed. A measure of comfortable silence spaced down between us that shifted when Travis made a concerned expression.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

I looked at him questioningly. "About the sleep-talking thing?"

"No, I'm asking about before Connor and I woke you up," Travis clarified. "You seemed like you were having a bad dream."

"Oh, yeah, I was," I sighed. "But it was a run-of-the-mill nightmare, so it wasn't a special one."

Travis made a sound of understanding. Demigods all understood when to back off of a topic when the 'usual nightmares' surfaced in a conversation. We'd all tell each other of our bad dreams at one point or another anyway. Guilt gathered at the bottom of my stomach at my lie. I honestly didn't want to have to lie to them whenever it was about Luke, their half-brother.

"What'd I miss while I was out?"

Travis let out a short laugh. "You missed a lot, actually. The monster attacks were the usual, but what was even more exciting was that Tantalus got fired as Camp Director and Chiron returned to the post."

"Wait, what?" I asked incredulously and motioned for him to explain. "What happened?"

"Long story short, Percy exposed Luke as the one who poisoned Thalia's Tree in front of the entire camp through an Iris Message, and Dionysus, being one of the Twelve, couldn't let the obvious piece of evidence slide. So the gods pulled out Tantalus and put Chiron back in."

I let the pieces of information sink in before talking. "Wow, a lot happened while I was out."

"Yeah," Travis simply said. "It was kind of hectic in between, but things have settled for the most part."

"It was dumb of them to even fire Chiron in the first place, or to choose Tantalus, for that matter," I muttered. The air outside buzzed and the hairs on my arm stiffened. Travis punched my shoulder.

"You don't _say_ things like that, Jade," he hissed fearfully at me. "You know how dangerous it is to talk about the gods like that."

Rubbing the sore spot where he punched me, I turned my head away. "Doesn't mean it's not true."

The air thickened and it suddenly got dangerous to breathe. All that was needed was an energy surge from an immortal being and I was sure I was going to get vaporized if I let out another word. I was sure Travis was holding his breath, too. The tense moment prolonged until our salvation was delivered in the form of Will Solace, a healer from the Apollo cabin.

He barged into the infirmary, crying out, "Your medic has arrived and I'm here to save lives! What's up?"

And instantly, the pressure lifted and Travis and I released a huge breath of air.

Connor trailed behind Will. "You know, you're pretty loud for a medic in an infirmary."

"Shut it." Will flicked Connor's nose before turning to me, asking, "How are you feeling?"

"Peachy," I replied, as if the hairs on my arms and back of my neck weren't standing up.

"Wonderful." Dealing with smart-ass demigods on a regular basis, the healer wasn't even fazed at my flippant response. He did a very basic scan of my body and checked my vitals.

"Even though you slept for two days straight, why am I not surprised that you're perfectly fine," Will mused. "If you're going to wake up the other campers, we should let Chiron know that you're awake."

"I'll go get him," Travis volunteered. I think he wanted to get away from me due to my capacity to irritate gods. Waiting for Travis' return, Will sat on a spare bed opposite of me while Connor leaned against my bedframe.

"So Travis told me that Chiron's back, the entire camp knows about Luke's betrayal, and Tantalus was fired. What else is new?" I asked them.

Connor said, "Clarisse, Percy and Annabeth's been busy the last seventy-two hours, they're supposed to be coming to camp soon, maybe today."

"They got the fleece?"

Will lifted a shoulder. "It was implied? We're also assuming that Percy and Annabeth got out of the mess with Luke."

They filled in other details for me, confirming that Percy, Annabeth, and Clarisse had completed their quest. Based on what they told me, it seemed like nothing had diverged severely from the original plot, which was a major relief. It was so strange and surreal to realize that the universe was beginning to lay out according the book series. In reality, it would feel as though nothing could possibly go according to the books, but that was almost exactly how everything was going so far in terms of major events. Regardless of this bizarre phenomenon, I took it as a good sign. This was the way how things were supposed to go until I were to make a decisive change.

 _Tweaking the spy part with Silena was risky though_ , I thought as Connor and Will continued chatting in front of me. I took a moment to scan the faces of the campers I had inadvertently forced to fall asleep. There were kids from different cabins; one girl from Ares, two boys from Hephaestus, and Judy. Except for Judy, I wasn't very familiar with any of the demigods.

 _Huh. I thought new campers would stay away from monster attacks._

When I voiced this concern to the other two, Connor answered, "The new campers were herded away, but Judy ventured a little closer."

"But she shouldn't have been close enough to fall asleep," I pointed out.

"Jade, um, your voice did carry really far and the effect was really powerful this time," Will cut in. "It was like your voice pounded the _draco aionius_ into snoozeland a minute into singing, and if it only took that much to bring a raging fire-breathing dragon into a slumber, then imagine what it was for a demigod within hearing distance."

I sighed with a bit of frustration. There were no any negative effects of falling victim to my godly powers, but it wasn't going to be pleasant for them to wake up from a two day sleep. On cue, Travis arrived with Chiron and the centaur gave me a look over before staring hard into my eyes.

"Jade, are you alright?" He asked in a serious voice.

"She's peachy," Will answered for me. "Her vitals are normal, as expected, and there's nothing of the abnormal."

"Yeah, I'm fine," I confirmed the medic's diagnosis. "Can I start waking the other kids up?"

There might have been minute lowering of the centaur's shoulders before nodding towards the sleeping campers next to us.

"Be careful," was Chiron's gentle reminder.

I went over to one of the Hephaestus kids and laid a hand on his forehead. The sleeping camper didn't even stir at the skin-contact. Like previous experiences of waking campers up, I sensed an intangible blanket covering his conscious mind, weighing down his mental state so that he would remain in the sluggish currents of deep sleep. Without the steady rise and fall of the camper's chest, someone would have mistaken that he was in peaceful death due to his relaxed expression. I only had to gently lift the blanket, metaphorically speaking, in order to wake him up. Although this was technically a straightforward process, the fact that these unconscious campers have been sleeping for two days made the job slightly more delicate. If I wasn't careful enough, it would be like painfully ripping off duct tape from skin rather than gently peeling it off.

 _Wake_.

Within seconds, the child of Hephaestus shifted in the infirmary bed and his eyes fluttered open. I stepped away from the bed and let Will take over to check his body as I went on to the next camper. Continuing this process for the next three demigods, I stayed at a small distance with the Stoll brothers when I finished, watching Chiron and Will on full medic-mode. They made sure the demigods were stable physically and mentally, asking them to recount what they remembered before falling asleep and how they were feeling now. Besides the initial bout of grogginess, headaches, and disorientation, it seemed that the four were in good conditions.

After the check up, the girl from Ares asked, "But how did we just black out from just hearing someone sing?"

"Sorry, it was me singing," I spoke up. Judy looked up, recognition on her face when she registered the other campers in the infirmary.

"Taking responsibility doesn't explain much," one Hephaestus boy said in a grouchy voice while holding an ice bag against the side of his head to ease a headache.

"Although Jade is unclaimed and we may be unsure of her godly parentage, she has abilities that she's been exercising control over," Chiron explained. "Inducing sleep is one of those skills, which came handy when the _draco aionius_ attacked, however it can also affect everything else who hears within range. Fortunately, she can also wake up those affected by sleep."

"Again, I'm sorry about that," I repeated with a more apologetic tone. "I haven't figured out how to target only victims."

The older Hephaestus camper snorted and then squinted at me for a moment. "Wait, wasn't it you who got half the campers to fall asleep during a bonfire two years ago when singing one of the camp lullaby songs?"

I grinned a little. "Yeah, that was me, too."

He let out a short laugh. "I've been wondering who that was all this time."

"Yes, Jade prefers preventing something like that happening again, so hopefully, this will occur less," Chiron said wryly.

I made a 'tsk' sound, and for the third time, apologized again. "Sorry."

All these apologies were making me feel like a parrot.

The older Hephaestus demigod shook his head, amused. "I'm fine, now I feel like I've gotten all the sleep I needed for the next week. My name is Jake, by the way."

The Ares girl interjected, "Might as well know all your victims' names, since it's the least you could do after waking us up, I'm Cam, short for Camilla."

I hoped Cam didn't hear the Stoll brothers snickering at her full name.

"Andre," the other Hephaestus kid contributed grumpily. He must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed, not that it was my fault.

Jude spoke very softly, "Judy."

"I'm Jade," I said lastly.

"We know now," they all chorused. I raised my hands in defense at their response.

"Just thought I'd check," I said with a light-hearted tone.

Chiron ended the conversation, saying, "With that done, let us return to camp activities, we will be expecting our travelers' return from their quest soon."

* * *

Percy gawked at me. "Jade stopped a _dragon_?"

Clutching the right side of my chest with a hand, I feigned emotional hurt and dryly said, "Oh, ye of little faith, thou'st loweth esteem of thou friend dost wound thee hart."

"The heart is on the left side, Jade," Annabeth pointed out. I switched hands at her words.

"Oh, ye of little faith, thou'st loweth esteem of thou friend dost wound thee hart," I repeated, my left hand now gripping right of my shirt.

Annabeth curiously asked, "Did you really stop a _draco aionius_? That's what all the campers are saying."

I waved a hand to lower the grandness of the story. "No, I only made it fall asleep, nothing else."

The three of us were walking to the mess hall after the watching a happy Clarisse drape the Golden Fleece onto one of the branches of Thalia's Tree. I was a little shaken by the immediate effect the relic had on its surroundings. The Mist had solidified in the presence of the fleece, patching up the camp's protection borders, and the tree even brightened in several warmer shades. Even its tree needles turned from a sickly yellow-brown to a earthy light green color within half an hour. In a way, the fleece's power scared me since it was a stark reminder of how powerful magic could be. Also, I was more wary of what's supposed to soon come out of the tree; currently, the fleece was a curse in disguise of a blessing.

As a celebration of another hugely successful quest, camp rules regarding cabin tables have been temporarily lifted for dinner that day. I ended up sitting with Annabeth, Grover, Tyson, and Percy at Athena's table, listening to their stories of the quest. At one point, Percy and I ended up arguing about whether nearing Scylla or Charybdis was the better option to crossing the strait into the Sea of Monsters. Currently, Percy was posing a convincing argument that Scylla was the better option since the chance of escaping Charybdis, a whirling pool into an endless ocean bottom, was slim to none.

"Even _I_ escaped Scylla when it snatched me up and Clarisse's engine boat sank because of Charybdis, so Scylla is the better option," Percy pointed out.

"Whatever, your half-sister is Charybdis, so you lose this argument either way," I shot back and Percy immediately reeled at the piece of information, his face scrunching in disgust.

"You're kidding," he said disbelievingly.

"You need to brush up on your Greek history," I told him and swiped a piece of garlic bread from his dinner plate as a token of my victory.

"Greek history is depressing," Percy muttered. "Almost all the stories are about heroes suffering and dying from their quests."

"True," I said with a mouthful of bread. "But the point of those legends is to remind us to always go on quests to follow the prophecies. In the end, it's always better to go along with prophecies rather than running away."

Suddenly, a serious mood took over Percy's voice as he leaned across over the table. "Annabeth told me that you know about the Great Prophecy."

I sipped from my cup and checked our surroundings. We weren't at a safe place to delve deeply into the subject, too many potential eavesdroppers.

Disregarding what he said just a second before, I asked casually, "Do you know Oedipus Rex?"

Percy seemed slightly peeved at how I ignored his earlier comment. "Who?"

I sighed dramatically, "This is why you need to study more, Percy, Oedipus Rex was a king of Thebes. He didn't end up well when he tried to literally run away from his prophecy."

This time, Percy's interest was more piqued. "How bad was his prophecy that it made him want to escape it?"

"He was told that he was going to kill his father and marry his mother."

The son of Poseidon made a disgusted face. "Oh gross, I would too, but what happened?"

I hesitated answering. "He ended up killing his father and marrying his mother, but plus he got blinded and exiled. His mother committed suicide. In conclusion, he's a reminder for demigods that prophecies will always come true, no matter what. Fighting against fate is all in vain."

I said that last sentence meaningfully, staring at Percy's green eyes. For one rare instance, my godly abilities didn't hinder the eye contact we held for a brief moment before Percy turned his face away with a stormy expression.

"All in vain," he echoed with a faraway look in his eyes. I rapped the table surface sharply to regain Percy's attention.

"And don't talk about the Great Prophecy in this type of setting," I warned him. "Chiron ordered for it to be kept quiet."

Percy turned a light shade of pink, apologizing. "Right, sorry."

I leaned my head against a hand, elbow propped on the table. "Don't worry too much about it now. Overthinking prophecies can be just as bad as running away, you know."

Percy breathed deeply. "You're right, thanks, Jade."

* * *

The camp was in high spirits after the arrival of the Golden Fleece, but I slept through most of the events in celebration of the fleece and was oblivious to nearly everything that occurred outside of cabin eleven. So when I actually managed to roll out of my bunk the morning following the second chariot race, of which I heard Annabeth and Percy had won with the help of Tyson, I sensed that something was off once I stepped outside. Walking towards the dining pavilion, no one had a smile on their face, everyone was talking in low voices, and everything seemed to be holding its breath. It all felt wrong. Camp was never quiet during the day; we had ADHD/ADD demigod children climbing erupting volcanic pillars and clanging metal in the billowing forge on a daily basis. We even had monster growls during the night. Pulling my cap further down my face, a frown grew as I walked to the mess hall. Most of Cabin Eleven campers were already sitting at our picnic table, chewing their breakfast, albeit very quietly with their heads down. This behavior was very unlike cabin eleven that it unnerved me. Taking a plate, eating utensils, and a glass cup, I slid next to Travis on a bench and nudged his shoulder.

"Hey, why's the entire camp so dreary?" I asked. Travis swallowed down a bite of his omelette before warily flicking his eyes to a table at the other side of the hall.

"We...got a new camper," Travis managed to say. I followed his line of sight and my jaw went slack when I saw someone sitting at Zeus' table. A table that had been empty for decades. Wearing a black leather jacket, the girl looked to be of my age with short jet black hair, freckles and piercing blue eyes that even I could see from this distance. Interestingly, I nearly saw the Mist crackling and short-circuiting around her like electricity, an indication of the girl's godly parentage. She was facing our way with plates of food scattered on her table, but it was obvious to anyone that she wasn't interested in eating. After a couple more seconds of picking at the food in front of her, she stood up and walked out of the hall and all eyes trailed after her until the footsteps faded. When she was out of sight, it was like the entire hall let out a breath, as if the bomb they had expected to explode had deactivated instead. Annabeth bolted from Athena's picnic table and followed her old friend out. I saw Percy sitting by himself and holding his fork with such a forceful grip that made me think he was going to bend the metal.

Thalia Grace.

I blinked a number of times before shoveling French toast and fruits onto my plate from the center platter and I tried to distract myself with the food. I had known Thalia was going to come back with the golden fleece's healing properties, but as always, it's one thing to know the plot and another to actually see it happen. I forced my fingers to stop twitching as I poured syrup onto my plate.

Forking a piece of toast down my throat, I muttered, "The golden fleece did too much of a good job?"

"Yeah," Travis confirmed. He didn't sound exactly ecstatic. "It happened last night when Annabeth was on shift to guard the fleece, but you slept through the entire thing."

"Bummer." I didn't sound the least bit regretful.

Travis turned his attention back to his breakfast. "I envy your ability to sleep through anything."

* * *

x

* * *

Hello, it is I. Finally.


	11. The Daughter of Zeus

I do not own anything of Percy Jackson and the series, Rick Riordan does. I follow the books and the plot and I do reuse some dialogue, but I alter and fit them into my story. Again, copyright is all Rick Riordan's, I repeat, I do not own _**anything**_ _._

* * *

x

* * *

"Pair up!"

In seconds, campers found partners and separated themselves to begin practicing their individual lessons on each other. Today's practice was more focused on personal development, so everyone was using their own weapon of choice than the standard balanced sword. Only Thalia, Percy, and I remained in front of Chiron. I looked at Chiron's worried face and then at Thalia's apprehensive expression. From where he stood, Percy's right foot awkwardly kicked back and forth as he was unsure what to do. I could nearly feel Chiron's pleading internal thoughts digging into my head: _Please go with Thalia._

I turned to the daughter of Zeus. "Wanna pair up?"

Percy looked up, surprised at how I took the initiative. I didn't do that often in front of him, come to think of it. Thalia shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her grip tightening on a plain borrowed camp sword as a cautious gaze searched my impassive face.

"Um, Jade, if you want, I could pair up with Thalia?" Percy offered hesitantly. I glanced at him and was confused when I saw the uneasiness in his eyes. What was he nervous for?

Chiron cleared his throat. "Actually, Percy, I'd like for you watch them."

Percy turned to him with a questioning expression.

"I think you'll learn a thing or two," Chiron added as we followed our activities director to an empty circular court. Percy and the centaur stood at the sidelines while Thalia and I walked to the middle of the circle. Although the rest of the campers were supposed to be rehearsing on their own, their eyes strayed from their own practice to where we stood.

"You may draw your weapons," Chiron told us. "Including any personal belongings."

"You sure?" she asked, a bit gruffly, gesturing to the enchanted watch on her wrist. I had seen the watch spin into a frightening shield before, when Connor made the mistake of pushing a joke too far. We simply learned that seeing Medusa's face was not at all pleasant. Some campers actually nearly fainted at the sight of it, which made me all the more thankful that my godly abilities dulled visual effects of magic.

"I think I can handle it," I casually answered in place of Chiron while pulling my own adamantine twin katanas out of the Void. I held them in forward grip, tips pointing away from me. Just like how I eyed the daughter of Zeus' watch, Thalia was now looking at me with a more caution as I now had the better edge on offensive abilities. I would also admit to some pride that my personal choice of weapons were unique. The gleaming whiteness and hardness of the blade was akin to diamond, so it would be an understatement to say that it was "flashy". It could blind monsters and people if I had the right angle on a light source. Its tendency to stand out was another reason why I didn't summon them out of the Void more often in camp. I swore something akin to irritation flash across Thalia's electric blue eyes the same time Chiron winced at my slight lack of tact.

"That's not what I meant," she snapped.

"Thalia, you can trust Jade, she would be a good partner for today," Chiron intervened with a placating gesture of his hands. "I trust her that she'll help you get 'warmed-up', if I may put it."

Thalia fidgeted with the strap of her watch, admitting, "I've never fought with another demigod, except, you know, Luke."

She said the last part with a noticeably lower volume, as she had been filled in by Chiron about all of camp's recent events, including Luke's betrayal. I personally thought she took the news well, which was mildly interesting. I wasn't sure what to expect from the daughter of Zeus, temperament wise. We were of the same age, but clearly she had a different experience with time as she had been encased in a tree for almost six years. She also had a much more rough childhood than I did.

"Do not worry, Thalia, this is simply a spar and you won't need to hold back," Chiron assured her and produced a spear out of nowhere, handing it to Thalia. Though she took the spear with some unease, Thalia effortlessly flipped and spun the weapon around her body, testing its weight and her grip.

At the demigod's expert display of familiarity with the weapon, Percy cleared his throat. "Is this a good idea? Sorry, I don't want to interrupt, but I'm a little worried for-"

I shot Percy an amused expression and borrowed Chiron's earlier words. "Thanks, but no thanks. Just try to learn a thing or two, okay?"

Tightening my ponytail, I pushed my snap-back into Percy's hands before Chiron stepped forward to the edge of the ring and held out an arm at the middle, dividing Thalia and I. We had both warmed our muscles prior to Chiron's suggestion to the spar, so we did last minutes stretches before lowering to our comfortable stances. At this point, a quiet crowd had gathered, everyone had abandoned their individual practices, preferring to watch the entertainment. No one stopped them from gathering.

Chiron's voice was the only sound in the outside clearing. "You will stop at my call, or the first maim, or the first sign of out-of-boundaries. No godly abilities. Ready-"

The smooth floor underneath my feet squeaked as I bent even lower, my left blade facing Thalia and my right behind me.

"Get set-"

Thalia slapped the surface of her watch, Medusa's horrific face springing into view. I was so focused on the match that I didn't notice spectators flinching away. I also had to begrudgingly note that her timing to reveal her shield as an attempt to throw me off was sneaky.

"Go."

And no one moved.

Thalia reminded me of apex predators, specifically the tiger or perhaps the eagle, like her father's animal symbol. While this might be flattering, I was more under the impression that Thalia resembled an apex predator that's been locked away for a long time, got released from its prison, and was now extremely unsure of where it stands on the food chain. She was restless and had enormous amounts of pent-up energy, but didn't have a safe outlet as there were not many things or people that could withstand the power of a daughter of one of the Big Three. And Chiron knew all of this.

 _Which was why he chose me_ , I surmised, as Thalia's weight shifted for a fraction.

Then she was a blur.

And I matched her.

* * *

Percy POV

* * *

Percy had been so occupied with the match that he nearly didn't notice that Annabeth had joined him and Chiron. His grip on Jade's hat was painfully tense.

It was obvious Annabeth had hurried when she panted, "Hey, I came as fast as I could, how are they holding up?"

"Much better than I was expecting," Chiron answered her distractedly, the centaur's attention was currently fully engaged with the fight before them. Annabeth barely had enough to register the response before she also grew absorbed into the spectacle. Percy couldn't blame her.

Jade and Thalia have been fighting nonstop for more than ten minutes now. Spars never lasted this long in sword fighting lessons, and they were never this intense. They hadn't stopped moving and the clang of their weapons didn't lessen in volume either. Thalia was everything he had expected from a daughter of Zeus. She was frightening. In the first minute into the fight, she had been slightly hesitant and it was evident that she was restraining herself, however the more Jade fought back, the more Thalia was encouraged to unleash more of her strength. Three minutes into the fight, Thalia stopped holding herself back. Her spear jabbed ferociously and she would swing it like a powerful bat with enough power to disorient a monster. And Jade was able to weather the beating.

From the very beginning, Percy was most bothered by how quickly he had realized that he severely underestimated and misunderstood Jade. Percy knew Jade was experienced, more than him, but perhaps his recent experiences of successful quests had given him a false sense of confidence. He had never truly witnessed the full extent of Jade's abilities, which was apparent the second she unveiled her personal weapons. Chiron had told him that the twin katanas were made of adamantine, a rare metal that most demigods didn't use simply because Celestial bronze was the preferred material. It was even more unusual to see her fighting with two swords; it was an entirely new style of fighting he had never seen anyone use, and he'd hadn't known Jade could fight like this the past two summers he'd spent with her. She moved efficiently and transitioned between both spectrums of offensive and defensive maneuvers with the two katanas so smoothly that her actions spoke of levels of experience and practice. Jade seemed like an entirely differently person, especially so without her signature snap-back shadowing her face. He's never seen her more awake than now, her usually relaxed, hooded eyes were instead alert. Jade's expression was completely devoid of the easy going, flippant personality he was most accustomed to, replaced with a startlingly focused gaze. Percy was almost embarrassed to know that Jade had been hiding this side of her all this time.

All the spectators watched apprehensively as Thalia let out a yell and suddenly moved faster, attacking with more force and renewed energy. Both demigods were soaked with sweat, battered, and dirty from rolling on the ground more than once. They were moving at a speed that should have exhausted them both by now, but the pace hadn't slacked one second.

Percy panicked for a moment when it appeared that Thalia had taken the upper hand when she managed to press Jade into a corner. Thalia was on a groove now, invigorated by the situational advantage, and Jade had nowhere to run, but only to try and fight her way out. The spear thrusts grew faster and the shield slammed more aggressively into Jade's blades. Percy watched with wide eyes when Jade snagged Thalia's spear with the two katanas, her shoulder pressing against the shield.

They were caught in a stalemate. Thalia couldn't retract her spear without allowing the katanas to pierce her while Jade couldn't relent against the shield or she would be pushed out of the ring, disqualified. The strain of pressed metals creaked. Percy let out a breath of air, believing that if the standstill lasted for a few more seconds, that Chiron would call it a draw. It had been amazing display of combat for ten minutes, and Percy thought that it was more than enough to see what Thalia was capable of.

However, instead the centaur called out, "You may use reverse grip, Jade."

Percy voiced his confusion, "Reverse grip?"

"Uh oh," Annabeth muttered next to him. Percy glanced at Annabeth, perplexed by how saying 'reverse grip' could change anything, and redirected his attention to the ring.

He asked, "How does 'reverse grip' change anyth-"

And the moment he saw Jade's trademark smirk appear, he suddenly felt a little worried for Thalia.

In one swift move, Jade's grip on her swords slackened as she twisted her wrists. Her fingers adjusted, latching onto the kanatas' handles, but instead of the traditional forward grip, the swords were now held in reverse. Caught off-guard, Thalia stumbled when Jade pulled away and slashed diagonally at an angle that would have been possible had she continued her forward grip. The daughter of Zeus lifted her shield to avoid being sliced, allowing Jade to move away from the edge of the ring, away from the danger of being disqualified. Although Thalia had appeared to have the upperhand only moments earlier, the situation was now reversed. Jade's method of fighting had changed, and Percy noted how Thalia couldn't keep up with the was moving differently, spinning and attacking at unfamiliar angles. Percy wasn't so sure if even he would be able to adjust to another style of combat in the sudden spur of the moment. The mental strength to maintain focus and prediction was unbelievably taxing, and the signs of stress were now visible on Thalia's face.

On the other hand, Jade appeared to be much more relaxed now that she had completely changed her way of fighting. It was almost as if Jade had actually been the one who was holding back all this time. Percy's jaw slackened when he saw the unclaimed camper weave through Thalia's offensive attacks. In the beginning, it had been Thalia who was beating down Jade, but now everything was reversed; the daughter of Zeus was getting more and more battered. It was like watching a movie fight scene with knives and swords. Jade would alternate between reverse and forward grips, treating her swords like spears and knives, jabbing and slicing with no discernable pattern. He had never seen such versatile use of blades.

The match dragged on for another painful five minutes until it was clear Thalia couldn't go on any longer. Thalia had been encaged in a tree trunk for several years whereas Jade had been diligently training for the same time, so it was slightly expected. Thalia's arms were trembling and her shield became more of a useless weight than a defense tool, her arm could barely hold up her spear. Though Jade had turned the tables, she still was no better, she looked like she was about to collapse any second. Although she had certainly taken the upper-hand by the end of the fight, fighting a child of the Big Three was no easy feat. If Chiron had allowed godly abilities, the outcome surely would've been different, though Percy himself wasn't exactly sure what Jade's abilities were. Percy betted that this spar had been the most physically exhaustive activity she had done in the longest time; he at least knew enough about Jade that she strongly disliked doing anything remotely active.

Chiron cleared his throat. "Campers, that'll be it for today. Wash yourselves up before heading for lunch."

Following their director's orders, the gossiping demigods left them alone, putting away their weapons in the weapons shed and stripping off their gear. The centaur raised an eyebrow at Annabeth and Percy, the remaining bystanders in the entire area. Annabeth and Chiron shared a silent look, a look that Percy was beginning to feel annoyed about, before she tugged him away to follow the rest of the campers' suit.

"Let's go, Seaweed Brain," she said briskly, leaving no room for Percy to protest.

"Drop your weapons," the centaur told Thalia and Jade as he and Annabeth walked away from the arena. The Gorgon shield spun back to its smaller form while the spear clattered to the floor. Over his shoulder, Percy saw Jade's twin katanas dissolved into thin air before Annabeth punched his shoulder to stop him from eavesdropping. He had so many questions to ask Annabeth.

Just when he opened his mouth, Annabeth cut him off, "Hold your questions for until later."

Percy grumbled, but listened to her. He would have to wait for another time.

* * *

"I'd say that went pretty well," Chiron said. If I wasn't I wasn't mistaken, the centaur even sounded pleased.

"How are you feeling, Thalia?" he gently asked her.

Thalia let out a long sigh, shoulder sagging. "Better."

She rubbed her wrists self-consciously, her head bowed and eyebrows furrowed. I bumped her shoulder and shot a teasing grin.

"You're really good," I complimented. _Scarily good, I have more formal training than her, but I could barely keep up with her._

The daughter of Zeus's mouth twitched at the casual praise.

"Thanks, you too," she replied with a dry tone. "Were you holding back on purpose?"

"Thalia, do you understand why I wanted you to spar with Jade?" Chiron inquired.

Thalia's hands formed fists before loosening and she glanced at my way. "I think so, I was full of pent-up energy, and I know I was lashing out at people right after I got out of the tree, so I needed some sort of outlet."

Chiron's tone was impossibly soft. "That's right."

 _I've never heard Chiron talk to anyone like this._ I wondered if he felt obligated to give her special treatment, or something, since she was the King of god's demigod daughter who had been trapped inside a tree for years.

"I just didn't think you'd use a camper as a punching bag."

"I am offended," I interjected mildly.

A small smile formed on Thalia's face. "Sorry."

"No biggie," I easily said and winced when I tried walking out of the fighting ring. "Aw man, I gonna be so sore tomorrow."

And I was right. My body ached all over the next day and I ended up sleeping in for another five hours until the early afternoon. The Stoll brothers helped me drag myself to breakfast where I was quickly learning that Thalia had already become a big star in camp after letting out steam yesterday. Although she had been extremely snappy and aggressive her first few days at camp, Chiron's idea of having her spar had been a good one. She seemed a lot more relaxed now and comfortable with herself, for some reason. Maybe this was because she had spent most of her life fighting monsters before coming to camp.

It's kind of inevitable for the daughter of Zeus to not be popular at camp. Percy, as the son of Poseidon, had already gotten some attention, good and bad, since he was a kid from one of the Big Three, but a child of Zeus? That was even better. Everyone wanted to be friends with the kid whose parent is, arguably, the most powerful god of all. And Thalia's true personality wasn't bad, either. She was attractive, with a very charming mix of femininity and tomboy attitude. Her past mother, who was a celebrity if I remembered correctly, blessed her with sharp, electric blue eyes and sharp jaw, but her feminine features were offset with the way she carried herself: loud, spunky, and energetic. Her style of goth-punk also added to the tomboy flair. All in all, Thalia was charismatic. Everyone in camp, not just the demigods, but also the dryads, satyrs, and other woodland creatures loved her. I supposed it was a special attention that came with being a child of the king of Greek gods and goddesses. I also had a creeping suspicion that people were trying to warm up to her because she can give some pretty mean electric shocks, ones that gave you a metallic taste in your mouth. Most of the time, she couldn't help it because her body was literally an overcharged electric outlet.

I guess I could say that I was glad that Thalia was integrating nicely into camp life. She's a good kid to the bone, but I just wasn't sure if I could trust her yet. Like Percy, she also had issues with her temper sometimes, but we had yet to see it blow its fuse. Chiron had once told me that all children of the Big Three struggle with keeping their tempers down, a problem that came with their powerful godly abilities. If their tempers were left unchecked, the demigods' powers could leave some pretty devastating consequences.

Annabeth was more than happy to have her best friend back, despite both her and Thalia were still reeling from the narrowing age gap. Nonetheless, Annabeth was excited. One of her old childhood friends had figuratively risen from the dead. A more awkward dilemma was Percy's stance on this entire situation. I walked up to him a few days after the spar with Thalia as I hadn't talked to him properly since then.

"This is mine," I said as my way of greeting while I snatched my hat off the sand next to him. The son of Poseidon was at the edge of camp border watching the ocean waves, skipping camp activities. Finding the kid had always been an easy task; a missing Percy? Check the pegasus stables or the beach.

Percy watched me take a seat with his green eyes.

 _Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia have really pretty eyes_ , my mind wandered.

"Dime for your thoughts?" I asked while dusting my snap-back from sand. The moment I said this, I was immediately reminded of my conversation with Luke long ago.

" _Jelly donut for your thoughts?"_

I stared at the rolling waves. It was an extremely nice day that it would have been a shame if we hadn't skipped camp activities. The sun was out, casting perfectly warm rays, and the slow breeze blew as if the ocean itself was sighing.

If only things could stay like this for a bit longer.

"-that."

I blinked once and then turned to a disgruntled Percy. "What?"

"I didn't know you could fight like that," he repeated himself.

"Chiron needed someone who could handle Thalia in a spar so she could vent a little, but no one in camp was as good as, you know, Luke," I said the name with a low voice. Percy's mouth sloped downwards at the mention, but didn't turn away from the conversation.

"In all of camp, Annabeth maybe could have handled it, but that would be a bad decision, and just asking a son of Poseidon to fight the daughter of Zeus would have been even worse," I added when Percy's mouth opened as if to volunteer himself. Some sort of understanding passed in his sea-green eyes. There was already enough competition between the Big Three gods, asking for two of their kids to go at each other, even if it was just for a casual spar, would have been dangerous no matter what. Children of the Big Three were no joke.

"And you were the best choice? Why you?"

In a dry tone, I said, "I don't know if you've noticed, but I can hold my own pretty well. I could tell you don't have a lot of faith in me when it comes to fighting, you know, like when you tried to prevent me from sparring Thalia, or when I stopped a _draco aionius_ , and stalled the camp harpies so you, Annabeth, and Tyson could get on that quest Hermes sent you."

Embarrassed, Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I didn't really know what you could do," he confessed. I raised and lifted a shoulder, pulling on the snap-back so that it cover my eyes.

"You should let your face show more often."

"What?"

Percy's face turned into a slight shade of pink, embarrassed by the words. "Um, I mean, I just wanted to say that you look nice without the hoods and hats covering half of your face all the time."

 _And that is enough interacting with the Plot._

I got up, shaking the sand off of my clothes. "Thanks," I said in a terse voice before leaving.

Percy sputtered at how I left the short conversation. "Wait, but I have more questions about-"

I waved at him with my back turned. I was sure that the sudden goodbye left him confused, but that wasn't my problem. My problem was forgetting my place in this universe; I was supposed to be insignificant, reduced to the background and side characters. If I wanted to accomplish what I wanted to do, I couldn't involve myself anymore than I already had, which had always proven to be extremely difficult.

I needed to get away from camp. Perhaps leaving earlier than usual would be the best course right now. I would have ask Chiron to let me call mom sometime today.

* * *

"You should be going to the hospital."

I took the first aid kit from Justin's grip with a grateful thank you. "I have. They ask too many questions."

Taking an alcohol bottle and cotton swab, I let out a quiet hiss of pain when the solution stung the long scrapes on my right shoulder.

"Can you even reach all of the scrapes?"

Stretching my left arm as far as possible, I found that true to the teenage celebrity's word, I could not. The scrapes extended from the top of the shoulder down to my shoulder blade at an awkward angle. I had fallen on some pavement earlier, in which my shirt's shortsleeve had tugged down, causing some painful roadburns. The cause of the inconvenience: a pathetic breed of one of Hydra's spawns. The good news: it was dead. The bad news: Justin caught me with the bad scrapes before I could hide the fact that I got hurt by healing the wound with my stocked supply of nectar. One drop of nectar rubbed on the scrapes would have made it disappear. I tried to brush of Justin's concern when searching our new home in Los Angeles for the magic food, but my stubborn step-brother insisted on first aid.

"Aw, Justin, are you concerned for me? I'm very touched."

"Be quiet." Scowling, Justin snatched the used cotton swab from my hand, soaked another one, and proceeded dabbing my shoulder blade. Though he wasn't completely gentle, he wasn't rough either. I tensed when the alcohol burn hurt a lot more than I was expecting. I hadn't gotten roadburn in awhile, I had forgotten how much they could be irritating. Maybe the scrapes were worse than I assumed; I had been underestimating the extent of my injuries lately since I seemed to be fighting a lot more monsters the last summer at camp when we went without the protection of Thalia's Tree.

Seeing me flinch, Justin paused. He asked carefully, "What exactly is a life of a demigod?"

My hand stilled for a second when I reached for the gauze wrap and tape. "You'll need to be a little more specific."

"What do you guys do exactly? Do all of you get hurt like this regularly? Where do you learn to fight? How many of you guys are there? Why do you-"

Justin cut himself off when he realized he was spitting out question like machine gun. I couldn't help but laugh a bit at his curiosity.

"I can tell you were thinking of this for a while," I said lightly. He helped me wrap my shoulder with the gauze, even cutting it to the desired length and taping it down for me. I could tell he didn't have much experience with first aid, because once I rolled my shoulder back, the gauze easily loosened and the wrapping fell apart. Staring at the messy gauze wrap, laughter bubbled stronger than before and this time, I couldn't hold back. Back bent over, I laughed until I couldn't breathe and my stomach cramped.

"Could you stop," Justin muttered as he attempted to redo the bandage. Once I managed to calm down, I waved his hands away and properly wrapped the gauze myself with a bit of troublesome effort. Justin studied at my work for a moment, as if memorizing the way I wrapped it. After putting away the leftover gauze strip, tape, alcohol, and bag of sterile cotton balls, he followed me to the living room where I put back the first aid kit on a shelf.

"You still didn't answer my question." Justin said when I collapsed on a couch facefirst.

"You do realize that we only exist because our godly parents couldn't keep it in their pants?" I drawled, my voice muffled by the leather couch.

Justin sighed. "Jade, _please_. I just want some answers."

I started talking. Somewhere, at some quiet corner of my mind, I felt something unraveling as if I was sorting out some feelings that I had been balling up for a while.

 _This is a good feeling_ , I supposed.

* * *

x

* * *

A/N: Thank you guys so much for the kind reviews! I really, really love reading them!

Oof, so I'm gonna try and finally answer some of your guys' questions! I apologize if I haven't answered yours, I'll try to answer all of them from now on :)

1) Is Judy going to be friend with Jade? Because Judy seems to be popping up more often than not (which isn't a lot) ever since Jade met her.

Mm, no, she won't be a huge character, but yes, she will be appearing somewhat often!

2) Is Jade the kind of SI-OC that tries to change the plot for the better or is she the kind that tries to interfere as little as possible?

I'd rather not answer since it keeps readers curious about the story :D

3) And are Jade's step-siblings going to affect the story in the long run/ are they going to get involved in the story?

They're similar to Judy in that they aren't huge characters, but will be appearing somewhat often.

4) Is Judy Asian?

Yeah! Her biological mom is Yuri Park so she is Korean :) You guys catch on little details!

5) Will I go into Heroes of Olympus?

I honestly do not know...I honestly would very much like to, but life is busy, you know? It wouldn't hurt to at least write a one-shot or two about it though :)

6) Will Jade meet Piper and her dad?

;) ;) ;)


	12. TTC - Hypnos

I do not own anything of Percy Jackson and the series, Rick Riordan does. I follow the books and the plot and I do reuse some dialogue, but I alter and fit them into my story. Again, copyright is all Rick Riordan's, I repeat, I do not own _**anything**_ _._

* * *

x

* * *

"Shouldn't you be with your dad right now? He's about to enter the auditorium."

A startled girl with deep dark-brown hair dressed in a flowy pale pink coral dress turned around.

"Who are you?"

I was contemplating if I should answer truthfully or give a white lie when Paige and Justin found me in the narrow alley.

"Jade! Come on, we're supposed to be inside," Paige hurriedly fussed. Justin was frowning at me when he also noticed the other girl near us.

He asked, "Hey, aren't you Tristan McLean's daughter?"

The young girl looked at us and for a solid second, I forgot everything about that moment. Who I was, where I was, why I was there, and why I was talking to this girl.

Piper McLean was extraordinarily pretty, even at a young age. A kaleidoscope of colors ranging from bright hazel to grey, blue, and green flickered like glass shards as irises and her smooth dark skin was a stark contrast against the soft pale fabric. She was probably about a year younger than me, maybe fourteen years old, and my brain nearly short-circuited at my strained efforts in trying to jog up my memory. I wasn't the only one who was tongue tied at the encounter. Paige and Justin were also stunned into silence.

"Leave me alone," she said grouchily, emphasized towards me.

And it was like my feet had a mind of their own. Without conscious thought, my feet stepped backwards, but I bumped into Paige and Justin on the way and most interestingly, my step-siblings hadn't reacted to Piper's words. The back of my mind was telling me that it was because they were clear-sighted mortals and were possibly unaffected by charmspeak.

"Your dad's been looking for you," Justin said stiffly.

Piper was trying to brush us away. "Okay, thanks for letting me know, but you can leave first."

Unfortunately, it seemed that Piper's charmspeak was stronger than my own will power. Granted, I wasn't exactly trying to fight her godly abilities due to surprise of meeting her, but Piper was meant to be a strong demigod. A haze entered my head and I suddenly felt like I understood what it was like for a mortal to be under the Mist. Completely out of my control, I chirped, "Okay!" and did a one-eighty turn around to walk back to the main entrance of the lobby. Paige and Justin gave me confused glances before following me, leaving behind Piper McLean, daughter of the now famous Tristan McLean.

"What was that about?" Justin muttered.

I was still in a daze and said, "What was what?"

Paige gestured behind us. "You know, _that_ , you listened to her without hesitation and did what she said."

"I did?"

Justin sighed. "Whatever, we'll deal with that question later, we have to get moving before mom and dad kill us for being late."

Even Justin's slip of the tongue of naming his step-mother as 'mom' didn't snap me out of the haze. They led me to front of the large building where a huge crowd had gathered. Fans, paparazzi, video cameras, and interviewers pushed against a barricade that blocked the way to a long dark red carpet that stretched from the lobby inside to the cul-de-sac at the front where sleek expensive cars rolled up. Polished socialites, celebrities, and other esteemed guests stepped out of their automobiles, enduring the flash photography and screams of spectators on their way inside the building with the relief of security surrounding the area.

We snuck around the barricade, away from the crowd's eye, to a discrete entrance point at the side guarded by two security guards. Showing them our guest invitations, we were allowed to walk past the checkpoint and entered the lobby without trouble. My mom found us before we found them.

"Jade! Why did you run off? Where did Paige and Justine find you?" Yuri fretted. Fritz Adalstan was behind her, trying to alleviate her frayed nerves.

"It's okay, we're all here together now, we can go in," he said warmly as he led the way inside to the main auditorium. Inside was somewhat quieter, but the excited buzz was the same. The haze induced by charmspeaking was finally lifting and details were gradually returning to me.

We were currently at the premier showing of _The King of Sparta_ , and my mom and I had been given extra guest passes for Fritz, Paige, and Justin to attend. Everyone was dressed up in fitted tuxes and dresses with hair and makeup done. Pop stars and actors and friends mingled, people had their phone cameras out trying to take as many selfies with as many celebrities as possible, and everything was so Hollywood-style glamorous. My family were all involved in the show business and film industry, even me, so we weren't unaccustomed to the environment. The only difference was that the step-family members, Fritz, Paige, and Justin were the ones with their faces shown in front of the camera, while my mother's and my face were not.

Yuri wore a modest ivory gown while Fritz wore a matching necktie with a non-flashy tuxedo. Justin also wore a casual tux with a patterned tie and Paige wore a baby blue silky gown that complemented her blonde hair. Although as not celebrity-esque as my step-siblings, I was also dressed up in a light grey silk shirt and high-waisted patterned slim dress pants. Everyone seemed taller because of the extra inches their heels granted them.

"Would you stop looking like you're contemplating murder," Justin snarked as he waved to some acquaintances. I rearranged my facial muscles as an attempt to look less intimidating; it's not my fault I had an expressionless neutral face as a default muscle arrangement.

"Actually, I was thinking about world domination," I snipped back sarcastically. I managed a grin when Lola Peters ecstatically shouted my name over the throng of people. Several other people I had body-doubled for in the past also smiled at me in the midst of their own socializing.

"Still fantasizing about that, are you? And how's that working out for you?"

"You sure talk a lot for someone who can't even bandage a shoulder correctly."

"And you talk a lot for someone who gets hurt way too often."

I put my hand next to my ear. "Justin, is that concern I hear in your voice? I really appreciate it, but I don't need your useless worrying."

"Okay, you know what-"

Paige jabbed both of us in the ribs. "Both of you, stop it," she admonished through gritted teeth as she flashed a perfect smile to passing friend.

Justin hissed, " _Ow!_ "

"Paige, I have more bruises from you than from work as a stunt double," I complained.

"Oh, be quiet," Paige cut off our cries of defiance and took us both by the arm as she marched down the rows of theater chairs. Justin and I let ourselves be steered by the dominant sibling to our assigned seats, leaving two empty spots next to us for our parents who were still greeting their colleagues and friends in the crowd.

There was a beat of a pause when my step-brother and I caught each other's eyes.

"Stiff-necked," I muttered. Justin's left eye twitched.

"Wack-job," he grumbled back to me.

A more painful jab was all it took to silence us again. Sitting between us, Paige rested her elbows onto her chair's armrests, elbows that had been digging into two rib bones just two seconds earlier.

"Paige, I can't breathe," I whimpered as I clutched the underside of my rib. Justin wasn't saying anything, probably because he was also trying to silently fight the pain in his own ribcage, but I heard him suck in a sharp breath, almost wheezing.

"Silence," she ordered. "The movie starts in less than ten minutes and our parents' are going to have our heads if we make a ruckus within the first twenty minutes of the premier. Just sit still, and be quiet."

Justin's and my shoulders slumped at either side of her, resigning ourselves to her command. In the last year, we were quickly learning who was the authoritative sibling out of the three of us. Paige really whipped us into obedience when Yuri or Fritz wasn't around.

* * *

"Stupid Greek monsters - won't stay dead - why do we have to deal with them," I muttered angrily as I stabbed another cat-demon into oblivion. Its remains scattered into dust, disappearing into an invisible breeze which left nothing but my tired body and various scratches on my skin and expensive clothes as proof of the monster ordeal. My mood worsened when I realized that Paige and Yuri were going to berate me later for running off. That was, if they find out that I'd been missing for the past thirty minutes and was absent from the premier's reception. It wasn't my fault that the dumb feline beasts were tracking me down.

Though I wasn't necessarily tired from the fight, my head ached, perhaps from some stress. My sword disappeared as I slumped down against a brick wall of the alley where I had seen Piper McLean only several hours earlier. Thankfully, the vicinity was devoid of spectators now that the main event in the auditorium had finished. The monsters must have been attracted to Piper's scent since she was a daughter of one of the twelve Olympian gods. Even though she wasn't aware of her godly blood, Aphrodite's blood was strong enough to still tempt nearby monsters.

 _Take a breather._ Cradling my the side of my head, I fingered my grey silk shirt and eyed it reproachfully. It was torn in some areas because of me rolling around and hitting the ground during the scuffle, same with my pants. Threads hung at the elbow and edges of the fabric. The back of my head hit the wall and I sighed. Mom never liked it when I ruined clothes, but she also knew I couldn't help it so she'd never really yell at me full-heartedly about it. I hated how her face would tighten when she held back her words, trying to be careful since I was in harm's way constantly.

I heard dress shoes hitting pavement before a voice spoke.

"Jeez, it's like you're always in trouble," Justin commented. He pulled out a small ziplock bag out of his inside jacket pocket as he knelt down in front of me.

"There's a reason why I don't let any of you guys know when I'm out fighting," I said. My own voice sounded empty, even to me.

Justin ripped open a packet of disinfectant wipes. "And what's that reason supposed to be?"

 _Since when did he carry a ziploc bag of first aid items?_

"You guys would get hurt. It's better if none of you knew." I hissed when he dabbed the alcohol firmly onto the back of my right hand. "Ow, that hurt."

Justin didn't say anything as he finished wiping the remainder of my cuts and bruises. After he was satisfied with treating every tiny scratch, he put away his mini first aid kit back into his jacket. I was put off by his quiet attitude. He usually would chew me out, call me various unpleasant words, and rub in my injuries to spite me as punishment for potentially worrying Yuri and Paige. In his own way, it showed how much he cared about our family and I guess it touched me to know that he cared about my mom like his own family. But right now, his silence was more off-putting than anything else.

"You're just as human as Paige, my dad, your mom, or I am," he said in a serious tone and looked at me firmly with his light brown eyes. "You told us that demigods are twice as vulnerable, to mortal and godly threats. If anything, you should be relying on us more."

The back of my throat tightened as I looked down. "Thanks," I said quietly. I got up, following him out to the front where he led us to meet the rest of our family who were ready to leave the auditorium. To my surprise, Justin made up an excuse for my absence when mom questioned us. We got to a reserved parking lot, and Fritz drove us home. Since it was a sleek sedan, Paige, Justin, and I were crammed in the back row.

Paige bumped my shoulder. "So, Piper McLean?"

Justin turned towards me, also interested. "Yeah, what was that? Do you know her?"

Yuri and Fritz looked as us through the rear view mirror. "What was what?" They asked.

"Some girl we met," my step-siblings chorused.

I lowered my voice to avoid the attention of our parents. "She's a demigod, like me."

Paige excitedly clasped her hands. "Really? Tristan McLean's daughter is a demigod? Oh, oh, that means her mom is a goddess! Let me guess, it _has_ to be Aphrodite!"

I raised my eyebrows at the quick deduction. "Yeah, actually, you're right."

She pumped the air with a fist. "Yes! Justin, you owe me ten bucks."

I looked between them. "You guys made a bet?"

Justin grumbled, pulling out some cash from his wallet. "We bet on who the godly parent was. My guess was Hera."

"She's the goddess of marriage, of course she can't commit adultery, it's against her existence," Paige explained as though she had said it before. "Right, Jade?"

I shot her a finger gun. "Bingo. Seems like Justin doesn't know his Greek myths. Hera's kind of a dumb guess."

He waved away our teasing. "Okay, okay, I never got into that stuff, but back to the point. Why'd you listen to Piper McLean like you were her servant or something?"

"Yeah," Paige said, mildly concerned. "Almost obedient, which was weird."

"I'm obedient," I said in a half-hearted protest. As expected, my step-siblings gave me a dubious look.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, anyway, first, Piper McLean doesn't know she's a demigod, and no, don't tell her," I added when Paige opened her mouth. "I told you guys before, if a demigod learns about their half-blood, their scent becomes stronger and attracts more monsters. It's better than she doesn't know for now since she'll probably know about it later. As for why I listened to her without question, obediently, it's because of her charmspeak ability. Some children of the love goddess have the ability to influence things or people with their voice, almost like hypnotizing."

Justin muttered something about "freakish flirting" and "of course, a love goddess' kids can do that" while Paige gaped.

"Wait, when she told us to leave, why weren't we affected?" Justin gestured at himself and Paige.

"It might have to do with being clear-sighted mortals." I sighed, slouching in the car seat. "You guys don't get affected by the same magic stuff that affect demigods and regular mortals. Also, she was mainly talking to me and it wasn't aimed at you two."

"Must be some charmspeak if you followed her words like a robot," Justin commented. "Unless you're weak against that stuff."

I tried defending myself, holding up two fingers. "In my defense, one, only certain children of Aphrodite are granted charmspeak so it's kind of a big ability, and two, I wasn't trying to fight it."

Paige did a mini-pout. "I want to be a child of Aphrodite. Charmspeak sounds so cool."

I thought of the Barbie cabin at Camp Half-Blood and Drew Tanaka, then snorted. "Yeah, sure."

"What else could they do?" Justin asked curiously.

"Some can speak French fluently, curse you with bad makeup, clothes, and hair, they're freakishly socially aware, some can alter their physical appearances slightly, influence your desires," I listed. "There might be more I'm not aware about."

Justin leaned back next to me and stared off into the car window. "Demigods, love goddess, magical abilities," he said absentmindedly. "I liked it when life was much simpler."

"You're only eighteen," I pointed out. "If anything, I should be the one saying that."

Paige cut in. "Jade, you're like, fifteen."

"Thirty-five," I responded automatically. "But yeah, let's go with fifteen."

My step-siblings shook their heads at me, but asked no more questions. We spent the rest of the car ride talking about the movie premier.

While watching my step-siblings argue about the best parts of the movie _King of Sparta_ , I thought about how I missed having siblings. Growing up as an only child in this life was a bit lonely since I had a past life full of younger siblings. I missed the pointless bickering, the childlike banter, and the neverending conversations about random topics, and feeling comfortable with them. I also missed my old siblings. And my family. I missed a lot of things from my past life, but I wanted to see my family the most. If I could just say something to them for one last time… A sad smile formed on my face.

"Jade, what's wrong?" Paige asked.

"Nothing."

I was fine.

* * *

" _Asbolus."_

 _The dark-haired centaur flicked his long tail, almost as though he were skittish. Asbolus wasn't one to be anxious, so the nervous behavior was a little unsettling._

" _Why are you in my dreams?"_

" _Your father wishes to speak to you."_

 _If dreams could freeze, that's how it felt. I stared at the centaur's face, trying to make sense of what he just said. It could have been a joke. I had never spoken to Hypnos, I had only received subtle signs in my life that he was present, but never a face to face conversation._

 _"Hold on, what did you say?" I wasn't ready for this. This was way too abrupt. What was happening? Was something going on?_

" _He will be waiting for you outside." As soon as Asbolus said this, he vanished into darkness. The dream turned black, and I woke up._

I bolted upwards, throwing off my bed covers. My hands were shaking and breath was erratic. Forcing one hand to fist into a grip, I pulled on a sweater and quietly left my bedroom. The house was dark, everyone asleep in their own rooms. Although Asbolus gave me no directions, I was led to my house's backyard where there was a garden and chairs circling a metal fire pit.

The garden was my mother and Fritz's pride, they had both grown it together in the past year. It was near three in the morning and the sky was dark. Los Angeles' congested sky didn't allow many stars to shine, but when I stepped out with sandals, my breath hitched.

It was like dark curtains had parted. The Milky Way streaked the sky, with bedazzling stars shining brightly, emitting its own light. I could even see each star's individual hue, some were green, yellow, and even purple. It was breathtakingly dazzling.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

I turned at the voice. Someone was sitting in one of the chairs. The dead fire pit sudden sparked with a flame and blazed, casting a light upon the stranger's face. The stranger wasn't facing me, but looking at the fire instead.

"Hello, Jade."

My eyes trailed over the unfamiliar face. It was so generic, with no distinguishable features and nothing special about it. Steady eyes with no discernible color, faded long hair that was tied in a low ponytail, and ordinary clothes of a simple long-sleeve shirt and slacks. I couldn't see his face. It didn't hold a recognizable form to my vision.

"You have a wonderful garden. Yuri always loved flowers."

I opened my mouth, but found that I didn't know what to say to him. What was I supposed to call him? Father?

The god of sleep's eyes lowered at my hesitance. "I know your uncertainty."

His gentleness gave me some courage. "Why are you here?" I asked quietly.

 _Why now? After fifteen years, why speak to me now?_

The most horrible about having a godly parent was the love-hate feelings that came with it. You would hate that you were left alone with a single mortal parents without an explanation, left to fend for yourself, and it was even worse if you didn't have your own cabin in Camp Half-Blood. And despite the silence, you would wish for something from your godly parent. A sign, a word, anything that would reassure you that you were being watched and possibly even cared for. We might not admit it, but demigods strove to be acknowledged by their godly parent.

"Trouble is brewing, and I know you want to take action. Do you remember my directions from Asbolus when you met the seer in Turkey?"

"You wanted me to look into history before the Olympian gods," I said stiffly. "About the Titans."

"And what did you learn about yourself?"

"You're the son of Nyx and Erebus, the Protogenoi, who were the children of Khaos itself." My voice trailed off, slightly fearful of the three godly beings I named. "Meaning, I am closer to the Titans' generation in lineage compared to the the children of the Olympians."

Hypnos nodded. "For the Protogenoi, their powers were not bounded by concepts or elements, but thoughts and feelings. The range of their control are unlimited as long as it fell in their domain."

At my confused expression, he added, "A difficult concept to understand, I know, but nonetheless, it makes them powerful."

"What does this have to do with me?"

Hypnos continued, "The older the blood, the more fluid and variable your powers are. The sons and daughters of the major and minor goddesses have specified powers, it is in their name. For example, Poseidon, the Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses."

"Does this make them weaker?"

"No," he clarified. "Their powers are simply refined, structured and made clear. This has benefits."

This made me think. "Are you saying that I have a different range of abilities compared to Olympian demigods?"

Hypnos smiled a little. "You may figure that out yourself."

After a moment of silence, I asked, "Is this all you came for? Just to talk about my ancestry?"

Hypnos finally faced away from the fire and looked at me. His face was serious and when he spoke, his sounded almost ominous.

"More than your ancestry, I wish to speak to you about your life, more specifically, to explain why you have a past life's memories."

And it was like the world was swept underneath me.

I sucked in a sharp breath of air and held it in my lungs out of shock. All this time, I thought no one knew, that no one could ever know, that I could never speak about it. I thought it was something that should be kept to my dying breath. My life was wrong, and I wasn't supposed to exist. I was a mistake.

Hypnos contradicted my thoughts. "Your life is not a mistake."

I was hyperventilating. "This is-I-you wha-, how'd you-"

"You were meant for another life, but the only mistake is that your reincarnation was different, something that you cannot be blamed for," Hypnos said calmly.

The numbness sapped the strength out of me and my legs grew weak. My knees hit the ground, my breathing was still irregular.

"I-I can't, this is, you don't know, I n-never t-t-told anyone," I stammered. This was too much.

"Jade, it is alright, you-"

My resolve snapped.

" _Do you know how it felt?_ " I yelled. "I wake up, out of darkness, out of _nothing_ , into another world, ripped out of my old life, and I couldn't talk to anyone about it. It's terrifying, I felt small, weak, and disgusting. I knew I wasn't supposed to be alive, but I have a body, and I had memories that I wasn't supposed to have."

I punched the dirt ground and tears flooded out of my eyes. The painful crunch of gravel was almost cathartic.

I was ranting. "I _know_ things I shouldn't know, I meet people I shouldn't talk to. I'm always thinking, _calculating_ , of what I could say or do, I'm always feeling lost. And it's so _tiring_. I can't talk to anyone, I don't know what to do, I'm scared of making a mistake, I'm scared that I've already messed things up."

"I hate myself," I rasped. "I hate living, it's tiring and burdensome and it's just _not right_."

"Jade." His steady voice helped me focus. I controlled my breath, breathing in through the nose, out the mouth, trying to suppress the hiccups. Tears streaking my face, I looked up at Hypnos.

" _Nothing_ can change a prophecy," Hypnos explained patiently. "Even someone like yourself, with a past life's memories."

"Then why do I remember my past life?" I angrily asked in a thick voice. "Why am I alive?"

Hypnos was quiet before answering. "When you died, you entered the Underworld like the rest of the dead. Your past self chose rebirth, however unlike what all spirits were supposed to do, you refused to bathe in the River Lethe. Reincarnated spirits perform a rite of passage through that river to forget their former selves so that they would be allowed to live a new life, but you chose not to."

"For what reason, you should be able to figure out yourself," he finished softly.

My mind whirled at the revelation. "I-I, what?"

"Jade, you were meant for another life, and there is a reason for your memories. You will have to find out why yourself."

I breathed out. "And how am I supposed to do that?"

Hypnos emphasized, "You are my daughter. In sleep, your mind takes you to places beyond time and space, you never truly realized the potentials. You only need to search."

He left the chair and knelt down in front of me, wiping a tear. His hand was warm.

Although he spoke gently until now, his voice and gaze turned stern. "But beware, dwell too long in the depths of your mind, into the past, and you will not wake from slumber," he warned me.

My jaw tightened at that. There was too much to feel, the buried emotions from deep within, that I had hidden for so long, were brewing to the surface. It was a storm of anger, sadness, frustration, helplessness, and feelings of loss. I felt like was going to have a mental breakdown any moment, and there was a growing headache on the verge of exploding.

Hypnos held my conflicted gaze. "You are the first child I have had in decades, and you have not disappointed me all this time. With your memories, you can make choices. Other gods will not know of your past self if you do not make half-hearted decisions."

"I'm afraid I am pushing Zeus' patience further than I have ever before," the god of sleep said regretfully. He stood up, and began shedding his mortal appearance. Large feathered wings that shifted in color sprouted from his back, and Hypnos' eyes glowed with golden embers. A pair of miniature golden wings crowned his dark curly hair.

"I will see you again, Jade," he said before I could say anything back. I still had so much I wanted to say, to ask him, but the words couldn't leave my mouth and I watched helplessly as he shape-shifted. Hypnos faded, his body taking the form of a cloud of pale blue butterflies, dispersing into the night sky.

I attempted to stall. "W-wait-"

Hypnos' voice echoed, _"Find your brother, Clovis, for me, will you?"_

At the spot where he had stood, laid a patch of soil with a silver seedling plant in the middle. Moonlace.

When the tears stopped falling and my hands stopped shaking, I delicately picked up the small plant. Ignoring the blood covering my left hand, I went over to an empty spot in the garden and dug a small crevice into the dirt. Carefully setting the moonlace seedling, I quietly watched it. The plant glowed with a soft, silvery halo and its scent was extremely calming, like a sea breeze. Out of the corner of my eye, a small pale blue butterfly came into view, resting next to the moonlace. Its thin wings opened and closed.

"Thank you, I guess," I murmured. "I'll look for Clovis, too."

Seemingly satisfied with my words, the butterfly took off, fluttering away into the moonlight. The fire pit was still burning and crackling in front of me. I crossed my legs and slumped my back, elbows resting on my knees. I craned my neck backwards, gazing at the starlit night sky. The view was so large and vast that I suddenly felt so small. My eyes went between watching the sky lighten into the early hours of the day and the dying fire as it ran out of fuel to burn.

And that was how my family found me the following morning. Fingernails full of dirt, scabbed hands, and a tear-stained, haggard face with a cloudy expression.

My worried mother was the first to talk to me. "Jade, what are you doing here? Were you out here all night? Why did you-"

She caught a look at my face and stopped talking. I didn't know what my expression held, but Yuri was taken aback. I stood up and ignored the ache of stiff joints from staying in one position too long.

"Take care of the plant, it's called moonlace," I said in a hoarse voice. Paige and Justin rushed out, followed by Fritz.

Paige tried reaching for my hand "Jade! We were so worried-"

"What happened?" Justin asked harshly. "Why is there blood on your hands?"

Pulling away from my step-siblings' reach, I apologized, "Sorry, I'm really tired right now. I didn't get much sleep last night."

Avoiding eye contact from everyone, I walked past Fritz, muttering, "I'll be in my room, sleeping."

I had some dreaming to do.

* * *

Someone was poking me, trying to provoke me and it was working. I had woken up from a nasty nightmare an hour before (ventured into the wrong side of a dream) and had been content lying in the comforts of my bunk bed when someone was poking my shoulder.

"I'll cut that finger off if you don't stop," I snarled from my pillow. The finger quickly retreated.

"Um, Jade?"

I cracked open an eye and saw that it was Travis. He looked worried. "What."

"You haven't eaten anything all day and it's dinner time, everyone else already left, but Connor and I wanted to ask if you're feeling hungry," he said carefully. At my unresponsiveness, Travis pursed his lips.

They were about to exit the cabin when I called out, "Wait."

Sitting upright, I briefly covered my eyes, pushing out unwanted flashbacks of nightmares. I grabbed my snap-back hat while climbing down the bunk bed and went over to the Stoll brothers. They smiled at me as I followed them out.

I could hear campers chattering and the clink of metal plates and eating utensils before reaching the dining pavilion. Eyes shadowed by my hat, I took a quick look at the band of girls sitting at the Artemis table. Wearing silvery gear and with their aloof expressions every time a satyr tried to approach them, the Hunters of Artemis kept to themselves, joking amongst each other and glaring at everyone else who came close. They had entered camp with Percy and Thalia the day before by riding in Apollo's chariot. I had slept through the commotion. The Stoll brothers and I took our filled plates to the center fire to sacrifice a portion of our food. I tossed in a chunk of cooked veggies without saying anything. I wasn't in the mood to speak gods, even if it was one-sided.

We went to our table, and I sat down with Connor and Travis quietly flanking me at either side. They ate their food calmly without trying to provoke me into a playful bicker. Though the Stoll brothers pulled pranks and poked fun at everyone, they were always careful around me when I was feeling moody. Truthfully, I hadn't been on my best behavior ever since I came to camp, or rather, every since my talk with Hypnos. My temperament was unstable and I was snappish to almost everyone. Justin had tried confronting me about it at home when I refused to tell anyone about what had happened the night I met Hypnos. We almost got into a fist fight, with him yelling and me stubbornly staying silent, until Paige had ended the bad argument. Yuri let me return to camp for the winter to take a break from the mortal world, but also because my volatile temperament attracted monsters. I couldn't risk letting my family in danger more than they already were, so I flew over to the east coast once I got her permission.

Across the dining pavilion, I accidentally caught eye contact with Chiron. He had a sorrowful expression, and covertly pointed me to a kid. I glanced down our table, where a lonely young boy sat picking at his plate and glaring at the Hunter's table. It was a depressing sight and I averted my eyes. Watching Thalia and Percy, alone at their respective tables was also depressing. Come to think of it, there would be a child at each Big Three table after this arc.

The Athena table was also a gloomy sight to see. Not all of them were there, since it was winter break, but none of the grey-eyed demigods were smiling, and some even looked like they were holding back tears. In fact, not many campers were openly laughing and being rambunctious because one of their own was missing. Not everyone might have been close friends with Annabeth, but she was one of the longest staying campers at Camp Half-Blood and actively helped with camp activities, so she was a familiar presence. With her missing, there was something lacking. She was also one of the best fighters in camp, so if she was gone, it was disheartening to know that even strong demigods could succumb to dangers. Not that I was saying she's dead, of course.

"Jade?"

I looked up. It was Malcom, and it seemed like he had cried recently judging by his red-rimmed eyes.

"I was wondering, if you've had any dreams about Annabeth recently?" He asked, his voice was shaky. "Annabeth's mentioned about how you sometimes had dreams that could help, and so…"

He couldn't finish his sentence. Travis and Connor exchanged sympathising expressions at the son of Athena's obvious distress. Without Annabeth, Malcom was currently the de-facto cabin counselor, an unwelcome responsibility.

"Sorry," I said and looked down at my plate. "I haven't had any."

I didn't need dreams to know where Annabeth was being kept. I already knew, because of my past life's memories.

 _She's not dead_ , I told myself. _You know that she's not dead._ A month ago, before meeting Hypnos, I would have immediately said something that would have helped the search for Annabeth. But I didn't have that same ardent desire of helping demigods right now. Malcom went back to his table, dejected. If I had been keeping my gaze upwards, I would've noticed a stiff-looking Hunter watching our short conversation a table away.

"Hey Jade, there's a new kid who came to camp, and he's unclaimed," Connor ventured slowly. "Is it okay if we go talk to him?"

Usually the Stoll brothers took up the responsibility of making new kids of Cabin Eleven feel welcome. I tagged along to prevent them scamming the new unclaimed campers for the most part.

I finished the rest of my plate before standing up. "Sorry, is it okay if I head back to the cabin first?"

Travis and Connor nodded. Shoving my hands into my sweatpant pockets, I left the table. I gave a short wave to Percy and Thalia when I passed by their tables. I needed to sleep and dream. It had been almost more than two weeks and I still wasn't getting any answers close to explaining the retaining of my past memories.

The next day, I was in the tools shed with the Stoll brothers, putting away weapons that lazy demigods had neglected in the training grounds. I was still moody and not talking as much, but my temper had subsided somewhat. For now, I was content with just listening and smiling to Connor and Travis' jokes and chatter. We were almost finished with putting away all the spears and knives when a stranger walked in.

"Jade, the unclaimed? Is thee here?"

We turned around and saw that it was Zoë, the zealous lieutenant of Artemis. Connor and Travis backed away. Not many male campers liked to be within close range of the Hunters since males had a penchant of getting hurt around them.

"That'd be me," I said. "You are?"

"My name is Zoë, I serve as the lieutenant of Artemis," she introduced herself. I took a second to study her. She was tall and strikingly pretty with unique features. I would have thought that she was a princess from another ancient civilization by the way she carried herself with the same lithe grace all Hunters had in addition to the silvery glow. Although all the Hunters glowed, Zoë's coppery skin made it look even more surreal and cooler. She also glowed a little brighter than the rest of the hunters, perhaps because she had served Artemis for such a long time. Zoë also had a silver circle braided into her thick, dark hair braid.

Zoë was hot.

Connor coughed behind me, trying to catch my attention. I blinked before turning to him.

"Did you say something?"

Travis nervously said, "No, but she did."

I looked back at Zoë who seemed faintly irritated. And then I realized that I had totally been checking her out and didn't hear her question.

"Sorry, I didn't catch what you said, could you repeat that?"

The lieutenant did a dignified huff. "I asked if it is true that thee can find answers in thy dreams."

Connor cut in. "Who can find the what in whose dreams now?" Zoë immediately sent him a death stare while a hand twitched for her bow slung around her back. The son of Hermes clamped his mouth shut.

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Yeah, sometimes," I admitted. I didn't find a point in trying to lie to her. "But it's not entirely convenient, nor does it really help you find answers. You end up asking more questions and worrying more."

 _Speaking from personal experience_ , I thought grouchily. Last night's dreaming had brought up nothing useful and only led me to another nightmare. Fortunately, I was able to pull out before I got in too deep, like the night before.

"But it must be far better to know of something rather than _nothing_. Please, could you dream of our lady Artemis?" Zoë's voice almost took a tone of pleading.

I wavered. "Look, even if I did, you wouldn't be able to do anything about it. I heard Artemis ordered you guys to stay in camp?"

"Yes, but I had a dre-"

Zoë cut herself off when she realized that she was revealing something slightly personal. I tilted my head, waiting if she was going to finish the sentence.

"Nevermind thee," she muttered instead and stomped out. Connor and Travis released a breath that they had been holding for the past minute.

"Thank gods," Travis said as we watched her march across camp towards Chiron's office at the Big House. "She freaks me out a little."

"Well, she is intimidating," Connor added dryly.

"And pushy."

"Too serious."

I made a noncommittal sound before hanging the last knife in place. Despite what they might say, Zoë was still hot.

* * *

x

* * *

Whassup. Did'ya enjoy reading?


	13. TTC - Dreams (I)

I do not own anything of Percy Jackson and the series, Rick Riordan does. I follow the books and the plot and I do reuse some dialogue, but I alter and fit them into my story. Again, copyright is all Rick Riordan's, I repeat, I do not own _**anything**_ _._

* * *

x

* * *

Apparently, camp tradition dictated that the Hunters of Artemis and Camp Half-Blood duke it out in a capture the flag game whenever the girls visit camp. It was an unspoken rule that Thalia and Percy would lead the camp's team, so they were busy recruiting demigods after lunch. Right after my little encounter with Zoë in the weapons shed, the daughter of Zeus ambushed me.

"Jade, will you play?" Thalia earnestly asked me. There weren't many people at camp since it was winter, therefore not as many fighters.

I didn't answer outright, asking instead, "How many do you need?"

Counting off her fingers, Thalia listed, "We've got me, Percy, the Stoll brothers, three from the Hephaestus Cabin, three Ares kids, one Athena, three Aphrodites, and just one more spot left open."

Mentally calculating the total number of bodies, I tilted my head to the right. Something wasn't exactly adding up.

"Fifteen?"

"Yeah, Chiron said it was going to be a small game of fifteen versus fifteen."

A detail I couldn't exactly place my finger on flapped around in my head, telling me that something was diverging from the books.

"So, will you join?" Thalia asked impatiently, getting a little annoyed at my lack of cooperativeness.

I stalled her with questions as I tried to figure out what that little detail was. "Is Beckendorf playing?"

The electric blue-eyed girl snorted. "Of course."

"Why three Aphrodite campers?" They avoided lifting fingers when they could, if a physically active activity was optional, there was no way they would volunteer for something like this.

Thalia grimaced. "They insisted, claiming that they have a personal record to settle with the Hunters."

"Is Clarisse one of the three from Ares?" She was reliable in a fight, though hot-headed, and a good person to have on the team overall, even if she didn't get along with Percy at all.

Thalia shook her head. "She's not at camp right now."

At that piece of news, I tilted my head to the other direction, the left, when my memories slotted into the missing blanks I was looking for. Plopping a fist onto an empty palm, I made a sound of realization when I remembered the elusive detail.

"Ah," I said. The original canon had teams of thirteen playing capture the flag when the Hunters came to camp, and one of Camp Half-Blood's team was Nico (which had been a dumb decision on whoever allowed him to play). Also, Clarisse was currently scouting the Labyrinth on Chiron's orders, which made my respect for her to rise exponentially at the thought. She was truly the daughter of Ares to have guts going into a nearly impossible maze alone with no help.

I was in the middle of deep thought when fingers reached out and gripped my upper arm a little too firmly. A sharp electrical current bit my skin, jolting me out of my secluded internal brainstorm. I lifted my hooded head to see Thalia's irritated face, clearly not happy at being ignored for the past minute.

"Hello? Earth to Jade?" She snapped at me.

I knew I was supposed to watch my words to avoid annoying her any further, but there was no mind filter when I said, "You're the second person I accidentally ignored today."

Giving up, Thalia threw her hands up into the air. "I can't do this."

"That's what she said," I said with no filter, again. At the sight of the daughter of Zeus' fiery gaze, I had to dodge a punch aimed for my shoulder.

Holding back a laugh, I assured her, "Okay, okay, sorry about that. Yeah, I'll play for the game tonight."

The daughter of Zeus folded her arms across her chest. "You know, sometimes dealing with you is worse than dealing with Zoë."

At the thought of the hot lieutenant, my mouth ran off with a mind of its own.

"I'd deal with Zoë any time."

Wow, that filter was nonexistent today. Must be the raging hormones.

Thalia opened her mouth in outrage at the crude statement, heat creeping up her neck and face as she slowly registered what I meant behind my words.

"You-can't-possibly-mean-that," she squeaked, embarrassed at my lack of shame.

Done with the conversation, I walked past her, saying, "You should be my wingman today, let me have a go at her tonight during the game."

Thalia let out an unrefined squawk of disbelief as she watched me head for the Hermes Cabin. I was going to catch a nap before dinner to continue searching for answers in my dreams.

* * *

 _In sleep, your mind takes you to places beyond time and space, you never truly realized the potentials._

 _ **You only need to search.**_

 _I focused on Hypnos' words and used them like a mantra, allowing my dream to expand and set itself loose of current time and reality._

 _My past life, my past memories, my rebirth._

 _Colors and perception distorted as space bent around me until the blurring finally stopped, settling on a rather breathtaking view of a beautiful garden located at the base of a huge mountain range, particularly under the largest peak where stormy clouds circulated around the tip. Feet floating several feet above the ground, I glanced at my surroundings and sensed that I was in a different century, probably several thousand years back._

 _Though the garden was full of bright plants, green, yellow, and blue with delicate flowers sprinkled throughout the bushes and trees, the atmosphere was tense as though the garden itself was holding its breath. No birds chirping, no bees humming, only a gentle breeze that rustled the leaves and thin branches and the gentle trickle of water from an unseen fountain. It was peaceful, but too peaceful. Too untouched by humans. Too quiet. Too mysterious. The garden reminded me of the children's fairytale of Hansel and Gretel, the garden was the candy house hidden away from civilization, and the old witch was just hiding somewhere._

 _Floating past a grove of perfectly trimmed trees, I went up to one plant and recognized it as moonlace based off of its silvery glow._

 _Where was this place?_

 _I was about to forcefully will the dream to shift when something tugged on my wrist, something that's never happened before._

" _Shade of a spirit, are you one of the Daughters of the Evening?"_

 _Looking down at the large hand that held my arm, I came face to face with arguably the most handsome man I'd ever seen. Matching Thalia's electric blue eyes and dark hair, he had a sharp jawline and was clean shaven, donning white robes fastened with a thick leather belt._

 _He shouldn't be able to touch me, I thought perplexed. I tried shaking off his grip, flying higher, but the man solidified his grip and even dragged me down closer to his height._

 _I spoke in Greek, "Who are you."_

 _Holding me in front of him, he said confidently, "My name is Heracles." Smiling with perfect teeth. "I am searching for the prized golden apples grown in the Garden of the Hesperides."_

 _I sucked in a breath involuntarily. It seemed like I wouldn't find any answers of my rebirth here._

 _I shook my head. "I am sorry, but I cannot help you. I am not one of the nymphs you are looking for."_

" _Oh? But you shine just as brightly and hold the same grace as one," the famous demigod curiously remarked and searched my eyes. I had to force myself to match his gaze, without my hat or hood shadowing my face, I felt vulnerable when his hard blue stare bore down my own dark brown eyes._

 _With a deep voice, Heracles asked, "Do you know where the apples are? Please, I must complete my mission."_

 _His hand let go of my wrist and brushed the side of my cheek with the back of his fingers._

 _I gulped. What a natural playboy._

 _I repeated what I said earlier, "I cannot help you, I am on my own mission."_

 _Heracles raised a perfectly arched brow. "A spirit like yourself is on a mission? Of what sort?"_

 _It didn't hurt to be honest, could it? "The reason of my birth," I answered truthfully. At my response, the son of Zeus's face noticeably softened as he looked away as if bothered by what I had said._

" _I too, often question the reason of my birth," he said gently. "I may be the son of the king of gods, however my life only seems to bring suffering to all those who surround me."_

 _His words made me think of Heracle's history; he must be completing his twelve labors in repentance from killing his own family when Hera cursed him with a spell of madness. I couldn't help but feel pity, there was no other demigod like Heracles who had endured more anger from the gods than him. It was unfair, he hadn't chosen to be born as the son of Zeus, to receive the wrath of a marriage goddess who chose him as a scapegoat._

 _To the famous demigod's surprise, I patted the top of his head. "Endure," I said. "You will go down in history as the strongest demigod to have ever lived."_

 _Heracles lightly chuckled. "Are you trying to comfort me, little spirit?"_

 _I shrugged and was about to say something when he suddenly buckled over, clutching his head as though a head splitting headache attacked him. Heracles groaned, his knees hitting the soft grass below us as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to fight the pain._

" _What is wrong?" I asked worriedly._

 _When the pain subsided, Heracles looked up, remaining in his crouched position, and massaged the temples of his head with a tired expression on his face._

" _The remnants of a goddess' wrath," he grunted with a strained voice. "It seizes me with unbelievable aching from time to time, though never as severe as it had once before."_

 _It must have been Hera's Madness._ _Removing his hands from his forehead, I said, "Let me see."_

 _I reached down and held the sides of his head when my hands, closing my eyes and concentrating into the depths of his mind. I usually wasn't able to do this sort of thing, but after Hypnos had challenged me to dream more, I found my godly abilities growing more practiced and controlled._

" _ **Sleep**_ _," I told his mind. Heracle's body went slack when slumber took over his conscious and I searched his mind of something that would indicate the source of his curse. It wasn't difficult as it could have been as I immediately sensed a sinister presence within the depths of his mind. There was a dark cloud, like a hive of angry wasps, pulsing with sinister vibes and highly unstable. It could lash out any moment and I could imagine that it had caused him a lot of inconveniences in his everyday life. Using the Void like a vacuum, I pulled the stormy cloud out of his unconsciousness and held it afloat in my hand, humming with vile intentions. It was disconcerting how a goddess, one that we demigods are supposed to revere, could create a curse like this._

" _ **Disperse**_ _," I ordered and it scattered into the Void, swallowed by nothingness and overwhelmed by the endless chaos. Heracles would no longer be bothered by random headaches. Patting his cheek, I lifted the sleeping spell from his conscious and willed him awake. The demigod stirred, his eyes fluttering open and glancing around him, confused at what had just happened._

" _I feel...lighter," Heracles murmured as he ran a hand through his hair._

 _I informed him, "Those headaches won't bother you anymore."_

 _The son of Zeus flashed me a blinding smile. "Is this your doing? Why thank you, kind spirit!"_

 _Before I could react, he closed the distance and kissed my cheek. Completely flustered, I slapped a hand over where his lips had been a second ago, the spot felt like it was burning._

" _I must go," I mumbled, trying to stop my heart from beating any faster than it was now._

 _Heracles almost wilted. "Must you go so soon?"_

 _I grimaced. The demigod took after his godly father too much. I pointed towards the base of the highest mountain, where a thick fog had gathered and obscured the view._

" _Go there, you may find the Hesperides hidden behind the Mist," I instructed him._

 _Heracles took my hand once more and held my gaze with intensity in his bright blue eyes. "Thank you," he said earnestly, like he was deeply grateful, and I believed his sincerity. "I hope to see you again, and may we both have answers of our births when we meet in that time."_

 _I smiled back at him, albeit a little sadly, because I knew that we could never meet each other in his mortal lifespan._

 _Despite that, I said, "I hope so too, good luck on your mission."_

 _I watched him walk into the shadows of the trees and shrubs, disappearing behind the arms of nature. Heracles was such an intriguing demigod. Based off this encounter, he was surely the son of Zeus, he even took after his father's tendency to draw in people. I was about to phase out of the dream when I felt the level of ozone in the air spike dramatically, my skin prickling._

 _Far away, a flash of lightning struck the ground and the sky seemed to crack into pieces as bolts of electricity streaked the air. I wheezed, air choked out of my lungs, and panic scrambling my head._

 _I needed to get out of here._

 _And as if the heavens heard my need, a thunderbolt tore down to the where I stood and struck._

 _My world went white_

I bent over, rubbing my watery eyes.

"Well that didn't go so well," I muttered, wincing when a small headache pierced my mind. "Ow."

A strong breeze ruffled through the air, pushing my hood back and tangling into my hair. Usually I didn't like it when sunlight hit my face, it was too bright and hurt, but I could enjoy some warmth every once in awhile. I let my hood stay down and breathed in Camp Half-Blood's nature, taking in the great view of my favorite spot. It was winter, my favorite weather, so the wind had a little bit of bite though the camp's magical weather prevented the more harsh effects of the cold season.

My shoulders slumped when I thought back to my dream that had rudely ended with lightning literally kicking me awake. It was another dream that didn't end up with anything helpful, but at least it didn't turn into another nightmare; I guess meeting Heracles was interesting enough.

I rubbed my cheek, frowning when I remembered what he had done in the dream.

I hated hormones.

"Jade?"

* * *

Percy POV

* * *

Jade was leaning against her usual tree next to the lake, napping, the place where anyone could find her if she was nowhere to be found. It seemed like she hadn't noticed him approaching her yet, so as he walked closer, Percy studied her unreadable face. Jade was Korean, he remembered hearing her last name before that indicated her ethnicity, and if Percy had to pinpoint a defining characteristic, he would say that it was her eyes. For the most part, she always had a hood or hat covering the upper half of her face so you could only see a casual smirk instead, but he could recall the first time he had ever seen her eyes.

It had been a situation similar like right now, when Percy was simply walking alongside the lake's edges when he came across Jade deep in her own thoughts while sitting at the same tree. She didn't have her hood or hat at that time, so it was the first time he was able to see her face clearly. Everyone knew that it was hard to match her gaze because something weird would always happen when they tried to do so; some would lose their train of thought, others would feel their eyes grow heavy as if they wanted to fall asleep, and the rest would say how it's like their eyes wouldn't even reach hers like polar opposite magnets.

Jade had monolids, wide slanted dark brown eyes and when Percy saw them bare without any veils, he could imagine people drowning into a slumber so close to death if they were stare into her dark eyes. And they weren't the warm chocolatey brown kind of welcoming gaze either, it was the kind of dark brown that would make to feel so comfortable in your sleep that you forget to breathe and then die. However, despite this kind of imagery, Percy couldn't help but believe that Jade wasn't a demigod who'd do something like that.

He watched her rub her face like she was bothered by something before coughing to grab her attention. "Jade?"

She didn't turn around at his call. Percy had heard from the Stoll brothers about how she'd been in a bad mood recently, which was a little strange since she was always one to be light-hearted.

He decided to forge on without her response. "Uh, capture the flag is starting in about twenty minutes, we should get ready."

At that she shifted, getting up and following him back to the dining pavilion where the rest of their team were strapping on their armor and gear. Some onlookers who weren't participating watched from the sidelines, but one particular camper bounded closer as Percy and Jade approached the tables.

"Percy!" Nico di Angelo ran up to him with an excited grin. "Can I play? Please? It looks like so much fun!"

Percy sent an apologetic glance at the younger camper. "Sorry, Nico, we're only allowed a certain number of campers on the team for this game. Maybe next time."

Nico visibly wilted but brightened when he saw Jade next to the son of Poseidon. "Oh, are you Percy's friend? Can you fight like him? Oh, oh, do you have cool powers?"

Percy was afraid that Jade was going to curse him to sleep when Nico talked her ear off. To avoid some bloodshed before the game, he dragged Jade over to the table away from the kid.

"Awfully chatty," she murmured as she picked out her armor sizes from the pile.

"He's the new camper, one of the two siblings Grover had found," Percy said as he pulled on leather greaves for his arms and legs.

Jade was quick with her armor, clicking and fastening the straps with ease. "Where's the other sibling?"

The slightly dark tone wasn't hidden in his voice. "Joined the Hunters." Percy shot a furtive look where the Hunters were getting ready and among them, Bianca de Angelo, who seemed the most nervous for the game.

Following the son of Poseidon's gaze, Jade commented, "That her? And they're letting her play?"

"Zoë seemed to be really impressed with her," he remarked. The lieutenant sort of grated on his nerves, though it wasn't exactly the Hunter's fault; he was only reminded of Annabeth every time he saw Zoë and of the pamphlet that had been found in the backpack.

Jade nudged Percy out of his stupor, jerking her head towards a circle where Thalia had gathered the rest of the team for a casual game plan discussion. The group was a pretty solid one and Percy couldn't help but feel a bit excited to fight a team of people other than his fellow campers.

Thalia began, saying, "I'll take the offense."

To Percy's discontent, she said to him, "You can take defense."

He could feel everyone's eyes on him, almost expecting him to concede with Thalia's directions but he didn't want to. He had wanted to say the exact opposite of she said.

Hesitant, Percy suggested, "Don't you think with your shield, you'd be better defense?"

Thalia shifted Aegis on her arm, causing the fellow campers to wince a little when the bronze head of Medusa caught some light. Predictably, Jade was the only one not affected by the intimidating sculpture.

"Well, I was thinking it would make better defense," Thalia countered. "Besides, you've had more practice at defense."

Percy thought back to his bad experiences with defense on capture the flag, when Annabeth had used him as a sort of bait and Jade had watched him getting pulverized by Clarisse. Then he subsequently had nearly been killed by a hellhound. Not cool. Almost as if Jade had picked up on Percy's train of thought, she snorted aloud, not even trying to hide her amusement.

Percy shot her glare. Thalia looked between the two at the exchange, a little miffed, suspecting that they were having a silent conversation.

"Is something the matter?" She asked, her voice a little guarded.

"Oh nothing, Percy just has a lot to say about playing defense," Jade offered in an airy tone.

His grip on Riptide tightened in annoyance. "No, I don't."

The daughter of Zeus frowned. "You have a problem with defense?"

Exasperated, Percy shook his head. "No, it's not that, I was only thinking that you would be better defense and I could go offense, that's all."

There was a beat of silence from all of the campers, wary of Thalia's reaction. She blinked slowly and then her eyes flashed threateningly.

"You think you could do better offense?" She asked in a dangerously low tone.

"He does!" Jade chirped to his, and the other campers', horror. The Stoll brothers each automatically clamped a hand over their friend's mouth.

" _Jade_ ," Travis hissed in warning.

Thalia stepped menacingly in Percy's direction, but to everyone's immense relief, Charles Beckendorf intervened.

"Stop it," he ordered in his gruff voice. Even Thalia backed off a little when the burly son of Hephaestus put himself in the middle.

Jade spoke up, her words muffled by the Stoll brothers. "Hey now, we don't want hurricanes and thunderstorms."

Percy wanted to smack her upside the head, what was up with her all of a sudden? Moody and snappy one hour and picking fights in the next? Luckily, Conner had taken to pinching Jade's arm every time she was about to open her mouth.

A vexed Ares kid also cut in, "Okay, personally, I really don't want to lose against those Hunters, so could we hurry up and finalize something?"

It must be the end of the world if a child of Ares was trying to also ease the situation.

"Mmphoo-ey-ee?" Everyone looked pointedly at Jade, whose mouth and body was still restrained by not just the Stoll brothers, but also Malcom.

"You promise not to say something dumb?" The son of Athena stressed. His sword drew up precariously close to her face as a threat. Jade nodded.

When Travis lifted his hand, Jade coughed, "That wasn't necessary."

"It was," intoned at least half of the group.

Jade wiped her face. "As I said, why don't the both of you take the lead? For offense." She gestured at Percy and Thalia.

"The both of us?" They echoed in surprise.

Jade lifted a brow. "The two powerhouses on the same attack line? Sounds pretty good to me."

Everyone murmured thoughts of agreement when they heard her reasoning, even Beckendorf seemed to considering it.

"We can balance out the defense," he pitched in.

"That sounds...reasonable," Thalia said slowly. "Percy and I could divide offense into two smaller groups when we reach their flag."

Percy finished her line of brainstorming. "Like scissors, pincer them from both sides."

Malcom clapped his hands when an idea hit him. "And get the fastest runners to swoop in and grab the flag during the middle of the chaos! Since you two cause so much trouble naturally, they'll be distracted and focus on only you two."

"Sounds like a plan," Beckendorf rumbled approvingly. The two children of the Big Three scowled at the son of Athena for his indirect insult, but didn't object since his logic wasn't flawed. The rest of team gave each other grins, extremely satisfied at how it sounds. Percy looked questioningly at Thalia who cracked a half-smile and shrugged in a 'what can we say?' manner, silently accepting it. He was pretty happy with how their game meeting had turned out, it was more fun when the campers thought of the ideas altogether rather than just one person handing out orders. Also, Percy was a little sheepish to assume that it'd have to be him to run in and grab the flag. It's just, the thrill of swiping a flag was exhilarating, you know?

After doing a quick chant of 'Camp Half-Blood!' and being dismissed by Chiron after his short speech on game rules, they headed off to their base, Zeus' Fist in the forest with their blue flag, the Hunters' flag was silver. As they walked, Percy saw Travis and Conner bump shoulders with Jade.

"You did that on purpose," Conner muttered to the sleepy demigod. "Picking on Thalia and Percy."

Her only response was a sound of noncommittal. "Mm, they were being feisty."

Percy wanted to stop Jade and demand to ask what she meant by that vague answer, but they were already beginning to organize in formation. The Ares guy from before hopped up the boulders, planting their flag pole firmly on the top.

"Who're the two fastest runners?" Percy asked.

Silena pointed at her two cabin mates. "Laurel and Jason currently have the fastest times on the camp track sprinting board."

"Perfect." Thalia sounded pleased. "You two will follow offense and stay out of sight until you see the opportunity."

Malcom, designated as the new leader of defense, picked out Beckendorf, one Ares girl, the Stoll brothers, and Jade to guard the flag. With that line-up, Percy didn't doubt the defense, and got Jake Mason and another Hephaestus guy to back him up. Thalia had Silena, and the other two remaining Ares campers.

"Everyone ready?" Thalia called out.

Everybody nodded, adrenaline thrumming under their skin and eager to test out their well-thought out plan. The horn sounded, and capture the flag began.

Laurel and Jason loosely followed Thalia and Percy's group as they disappeared into the woods together. They would split as they got closer to the other flag. Percy thought back to when he saw the Hunters for the first time, how they had stormed out from nowhere, attacking the manticore with an overwhelming flurry of arrows. He wondered if something like that would happen to the defense, one huge charge that would crash down. But as they silently wove between the trees, they heard nothing of that sort behind them. Percy had to tell himself to keep going forward, to trust the plan.

Thalia grabbed Percy's shoulder, no spark of electricity this time. "We'll separate here," she whispered. Percy grinned.

"See you on the other side," he said and the daughter of Zeus returned his confident smile before breaking off to the right.

Percy turned to his group. "Let's go."

They increased their speed as they headed left, seeing no one until a flash of silver caught Percy's eye. It was Zoë, with a small band of two others, sprinting at an insane speed from a wide angle and heading directly towards the opposite flag.

Percy was seriously tempted to intercept Zoë and her crew, when Jake Mason shouted at him from the behind.

"Stick with the plan! Malcom and them can take care of themselves, it's a solid defense," Jake reassured. Percy ran through the list of campers positioned there once more: Malcom, Jade, Beckedorf, Conner, Travis, and an Ares girl. As long as Jade and the Stoll brothers took the Hunters seriously, they'd be fine.

Within another second, Percy could see the flag just behind the creek, and Thalia's group just on the other side. There were a little less than ten Hunters circling the flag.

Percy's grin matched Thalia's as they caught each other's eyes, sprinting towards the middle and yelling. The first guard was completely wide-eyed when Percy's group slammed past her and went on to the next wave of Hunters. He could the Hunters' frantic shouts of trying organize themselves. It was messy, it was chaotic, they were causing panic, distracting the Hunters and it was working. He could hear the same mayhem on the other side, Thalia's group doing good work.

This is way too fun, Percy thought as he batted away a Hunter's dagger. Maybe being decoy wasn't so bad if you knew what was happening.

Jake cheered. "Yeah! Go Laurel! Faster, Jason, come on!"

Percy turned around just in time to see the two children of Aphrodite to burst out over a brush and bolt for the flag. There was a flash of fear when one Hunter (was that Bianca?) stood in the way, but Laurel managed to parry the girl as Jason swiped the flagpole. Once the flag had been seized, the two campers continued their dash, making a beeline for their territory.

"Cover them!" Thalia yelled over the havoc. "Get them to the border!"

Percy yelled at his group. "Come on!" And the two groups converged into a retreating wall to cover Laurel and Jason's escape, preventing anymore Hunters from being able to recover their lost flag. Once it was clear that the two children of Aphrodite had gained distance, the offensive group trailed the two out to the border, where they could see their own defense and untouched flag.

Percy was thrilled to see Zoë and the two Hunters from earlier restrained at the base of Zeus' Fist.

"No!" Zoë looked like she wanted to punch something when everyone saw Jason and Laurel emerged out of the woods with a transformed flag, formerly silver, but now the same shade of blue as the flag that flapped on top of Zeus' Fist. The campers cheered as both demigods and Hunters converged, Chiron appearing from the side, looking delighted at the outcome but trying his best to not show it too plainly on his face.

"The campers win!" Chiron announced, barely hiding the glee from his voice. "For the first time in two centuries, breaking the Hunter's fifty-five winning streak."

"Perseus Jackson!" Thalia yelled, running towards Percy. For a second, he was afraid that she was going to punch him, but she was smiling, her eyes glittering with joy, as she caught him in a bear hug. To his displeasure, other campers joined the suffocating hug, piling on top of him.

"Guys, I can't breathe," he wheezed underneath the weight. When the bodies finally released him, Malcom was the one who helped him up.

"Nice job." Percy had never seen the son of Athena smile so widely before.

"Nice job getting Zoë," he returned.

Malcom pointed at Jade next to him. "No biggie, Jade got all excited for some reason when she saw Zoë and kept her busy."

Percy lifted a brow and turned to the yawning camper, who had overheard Malcom's words. "Why'd you get excited?"

Jade shrugged. "She's hot," she said, as if that explained everything. Malcom sighed, shaking his head, while Percy's eyes bugged out. He opened his mouth to ask Jade to repeat what she just said when he heard Thalia behind him.

"Jade, stop that," she bemoaned. The unclaimed demigod only rolled her eyes, turning away, before anyone else could criticize her. For a minute, Percy felt that everything was alright in the universe. They had played a really good capture the flag game and had won, he hadn't gotten into a potentially dangerous fight with Thalia, and it all felt right except...Annabeth wasn't here.

Saddened by the thought, Percy went over to other campers, high-fiving and slapping hands, and would have cheered a little longer if only, the Oracle, out of all things, hadn't interrupted their moment of victory.

Honestly, that mummy had one of the worst timings.

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x

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I guess the good thing about summer is that I have more time to write. Bad news: going to back to school this month.

Thank you guys for all the wonderful reviews! It's been sweet reading them through and getting the feedback :)


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